Dec. 10, 2015

Delaware leaders, including Gov. Jack Markell, U.S. Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons and U.S. Rep. John Carney, recently joined GAMA at Dassault Falcon Jet in New Castle, DE, for a job rally to highlight the contribution of business aviation to well-paying jobs in the state, and the industry’s positive impact on Delaware’s economy.

GAMA began holding job rallies in 2009, with the first held at a Dassault Falcon facility in Little Rock, AR. This latest rally marked GAMA’s 14th such event.

“We felt we could a better job of telling our story, and that we had a great story to tell about the significant number of jobs and economic impact of general aviation,” said Mary Lynn Rynkiewicz, GAMA’s director of communications.

According to a 2015 PricewaterhouseCoopers study commissioned by GAMA and funded in part by NBAA, general aviation provides 2,600 jobs and $588 million in economic output annually in Delaware.

“Dassault Falcon Jet has been a part of the Delaware community for close to 15 years,” said John Rosanvallon, the company’s president and CEO. “We have grown this facility into one of our largest maintenance centers in the world. This would not have been possible without our 400 skilled and dedicated employees, and our strong relationship with Delaware officials.”

GAMA said the rallies have been met with enthusiasm from attendees and significant support from state and local leaders.

“The rallies have drawn excellent participation from governors, U.S. senators and U.S. representatives,” said Rynkiewicz. “Their presence at the rallies demonstrates how important the events are.”

GAMA typically plans two to three rallies each year. Dates and locations for 2016 rallies will be available in the coming months.