WHITEHALL, Mich. -- Airbus and Alcoa (NYSE:AA) officials joined together today at Alcoa Howmet Castings' facility in Whitehall, Michigan to acknowledge the contributions Airbus is making to America's aerospace industry and increased employment levels, as well as to recognize the products that Alcoa Howmet Castings is supplying to enhance the assembly of the A380, Airbus' new airliner and the world's largest commercial aircraft.

Airbus and Alcoa Howmet Castings were joined at the event by representatives of The Engine Alliance and Rolls-Royce, to whom Alcoa supplies engine components for the A380.

"Airbus could not build the A380 without the significant support of American aerospace companies," Allan C. McArtor, Chairman of Airbus North America, told an audience of national and local officials and Alcoa Howmet Castings employees this morning. "While out-sourcing is an issue for so many today, Airbus is delighted to be among those companies who are 'in-sourcing' high-technology jobs. Fifty percent of the A380's components and subsystems will be made in the United States. We are especially pleased to include Alcoa Howmet Castings, a global leader in designing and producing jet aircraft components, as a vital link in our supply chain."

"Every new aircraft presents a series of unique technical challenges. We are thrilled to be working with The Engine Alliance and Rolls-Royce to be a part of aviation history on the Airbus A380 and adding jobs to make that happen," said Michael Pepper, Vice President - Aerospace Sector at Alcoa Howmet Castings.

"The A380 is going to be the flagship of the 21st century," McArtor told the crowd. "This craft will carry 550 people 8,000 miles. The A380 is going to create a lot of jobs, not only for the next generation of Alcoa employees, but for those in many other companies as well."

Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Howmet is the world's largest manufacturer of precision investment castings of superalloy, titanium and aluminium alloys, for jet aircraft and industrial gas turbine engines. Howmet and its affiliates operate 27 production facilities in the United States, Canada, France, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Japan.

In addition to Alcoa Howmet Castings, Alcoa's other aerospace businesses include: Alcoa Mill Products, Alcoa Europe Rolled Products, Alcoa Fastening Systems, Alcoa Engineered Products, Alcoa Wheel and Forged Products, and Latin American Rolled Products businesses. These businesses supply Airbus and the balance of the aerospace industry with aluminum sheet and plate, extrusions, fasteners, forgings, structural castings, and propulsion components such as super alloy turbine blades. Alcoa's aerospace revenues were approximately $2 billion in 2003 and reflect the company's expanded aerospace materials, product and technology portfolio.

Airbus spends more than $5 billion annually in the United States, which equates to around $15 million a day. In all, more than 100,000 jobs in the United States can be tied to Airbus.