may 2015 23 ating opportunities excellence, in a number of fields. One thing we’re working on as a company that is growing its presence and global partnerships is how do we together continue to press for excellence in aerospace on a global standard? “That’s certainly something we’re pursuing and exploring with Italy, and with many other countries.” Boeing and Italy enjoy an aviation partnership as unique as any. While the 777 is the flagship airplane for the country’s largest airline, Alitalia, which operates 10 of them, Boeing equips every branch of the Italian military service with a variety of aircraft and enlists Italian suppliers to provide parts for three different twin-aisle jetliners, foremost the 787. Italy, which is hosting the global Expo 2015 in Milan through October, holds the distinction as one of Boeing’s first international partners after it agreed in 1978 to help design and build the 767. Boeing now supports more than 13,000 jobs in Italy and last year spent $1.8 billion on its Italianbased suppliers. The company is so ensconced in the fabric of this 736-mile-long (1,180-kilometer-long) country that aviation brand names have been blurred, according to Roberto Russo, information technology computing lead, Boeing International. “I can remember my grandparents— when they spoke about aircraft, they spoke about Boeing,” Russo said. “Even if it was a different company, they said Boeing. It’s strong—the perception of the man on the street in Italy—that Boeing equals aircraft.” In southern Italy, Alenia Aermacchi, a subsidiary for Italian aerospace company Finmeccanica, builds 14 percent of the 787 Dreamliner airframe—two midfuselage sections, as well as the horizontal stabilizer. The composite Photo: Milan is hosting Expo 2015, shown here with Sforza Castle in the background. SHUTT ERSTOC K
Frontiers May 2015 Issue
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