US states like Washington and California are widely recognized as aerospace powerhouses. Yet across the country on the East Coast, Georgia has quietly emerged as a formidable competitor, rapidly consolidating its position as one of the premier aerospace hubs in the United States.
It’s hard to understate the importance of the aerospace industry, which contributes $57 billion and more than 200,000 jobs, to Georgia’s economy.
When thinking about aviation in Georgia, a couple of well-known names inevitably come to mind, such as Delta Air Lines, by some measures one of the world’s three largest airlines, and Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport (ATL), the world’s busiest airport.
But, when it comes to aerospace, Georgia is also home to a strong industrial base, including household names such as executive jet manufacturer Gulfstream Aerospace and defense conglomerate Lockheed Martin, as well as another 800 companies.
Perhaps even more interesting is that as well as these well-established giants, a number of young companies active in the new emerging segments of aerospace have also set up shop in the state. We are talking about companies like Archer, which has built its first mass industrial plant in Convington, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) producer LanzaJet, which has set up a 10-million-gallon-a-year plant in Soperton, and hypersonic aircraft developer Hermeus, which is based in Atlanta.
How Georgia is trying to attract more investment in aerospace
In the lead up to the Paris Air Show, which took place in June 2025, AeroTime spoke to Elizabeth McLean, Assistant Director at Georgia’s Department of Economic Development, to learn more about the state’s strategy to continue growing its aerospace sector.
The nascent advanced air mobility industry is one of the segments targeted by this organization, which is tasked with attracting fresh investment to Georgia’s aerospace ecosystem.
McLean explained how, on the back of Archer’s investment, Georgia’s Department of Transportation recently published an advanced air mobility blueprint, a 20-page document that outlines concrete steps to help establish the state as a leader in the sector.
However, McLean also highlighted that this interest in emerging segments of the industry does not mean neglecting investments in more traditional fields such as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO). In fact, Georgia hosts the largest MRO operation in the US, run by Delta TechOps, and has also seen recent investments from the likes of Pratt & Whitney, which invested over $200 million at its Columbus facility in 2023, and Embraer Aircraft Maintenance Services (EAMS), which is building up its activities in Macon, Georgia.
The state relies on its educational ecosystem to keep all these ventures supplied with a pipeline of fresh talent. McLean underlined the role that engineering powerhouses like Georgia Tech play in all this. For example, in May 2025, Georgia Tech signed a partnership with Altair, a Michigan-based technology firm which develops AI-driven simulation software for cutting edge aerospace design applications. This technology is being used, for example, to design JetZero’s revolutionary blended wing body airliner.
“It is a very diverse ecosystem,” McLean said. “What actually sets us apart from other states with strong aerospace industries is that we have the whole spectrum of activities, from the HQs to manufacturing, MRO, you name it.”
2 comments
GA is not the only one getting into aviation and aerospace.
There is a nationwide trend of state economic and workforce development people identifying our industries as key economic drivers. You would do well to look at Oklahoma, Ohio, Colorado, Texas, Kansas Arkansas and Florida who are all focusing on what companies need to fill out their workforces.
Perhaps the post child of this movement is West VA — deep in coal mining country. Years ago it set about deveoping aviation/aerospace workforce development programs to build the workforce to attract businesses leveraging its airports and creating pilot and aviation maintenance academies as well as setting up a program at Marshall University. Today, kids are no longer lost to the brain drain of going away to college. They can matriculate at local schools, community colleges and find work within the state. This is a dramatic turnaround which other states are copying.
Impressive to see how Georgia is cultivating a truly end-to-end aerospace ecosystem from advanced air mobility startups to world-class MRO operations. The state’s investment in talent and infrastructure is clearly paying off.