Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Huntsville International Airport CEO Butch Roberts and University of Alabama in Huntsville President Chuck Karr were among a local delegation recruiting companies to come here at the Paris Air Show last week.

The local delegation met with about 60 companies at the airshow, which is the largest gathering of aerospace companies in the world. The delegation also included Madison County Commission Chairman Mac McCutcheon, Huntsville-Madison County Chamber and Tennessee Valley Authority officials.

“We’ve had some really good meetings with companies that have an existing presence,” said Lucia Cape, Huntsville-Madison County Chamber executive vice president for economic development and workforce. “We have some new companies that want to come to the community.”

The airshow was held at Le Bourget Airport. It is held biannually, but this was its first airshow since 2019 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Huntsville delegation attended June 19-21 after holding a reception for U.S. Rep Dale Strong and U.S. Senator Katie Britt. The airshow ran through June 25.

“Our return on investment from the Paris Air Show is substantial,” Battle said in his City Blog Post last week. “The unsurpassed concentration of key aerospace movers and shakers provided us with introductions and a list of prospects for new opportunities. Any time we can tell our incredible story to job creators, particularly in the aerospace industry, we give lift to Huntsville’s leadership role in all things space.”