Local leadership and representatives from Dassault Aviation announced an expansion on Tuesday. The French aerospace company, which specializes in building military, commercial and private planes, announced plans to expand its existing operations at Little Rock’s Clinton National Airport.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Dassault would bring 800 “good-paying jobs” to central Arkansas.
“Between private aviation in central Arkansas, defense in the Golden Triangle, military instillations in Little Rock and Fort Smith, and a host of other investments across the state,” she said. “Arkansas's role in aviation is literally taking off.”
Thierry Betbeze, CEO of Dassault Falcon Jet, joined Sanders for Tuesday’s announcement.
“The future means that we will invest several tens of millions of dollars in new facility buildings to build the new planes,” he said. “The future means we will hire hundreds of new employees in Dassault Falcon Jet.”
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. and Gov. Sanders traveled to Paris earlier this year to meet with aviation leaders in the hope of adding new jobs in Arkansas. Sanders said it’s one of the largest job investments she has seen in her term as governor so far.
