Spokane airport chief named to Gov. Inslee’s airplane council

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, February 20, 2019

The Spokesman-Review

SPOKANE — Larry Krauter, chief executive of Spokane International Airport, has been named to Gov. Jay Inslee’s Choose Washington New Middle-Market Airplane Council.

The council is leading a statewide effort to position Washington as the preferred location for design, production and assembly of an all-new aircraft under study by Boeing.

With room for 220 to 270 passengers and travel distances of 5,200 nautical miles, the plane would fill a niche for Boeing and effectively replace the 757, which is no longer in production.

The new plane would travel longer distances than the company’s 737 airliners, which are designed for short to medium-length flights. But it would be less costly to operate than the 787 Dreamliner, which is intended for long-haul travel.

If Boeing’s middle-market plane is built in Washington, local manufacturers would likely benefit.

The Spokane area is the United States’ fifth-largest aerospace cluster, with over 120 companies involved in aspects in the aerospace industry.