On the very first day of the Show and the very first meeting of the Show, we caught up with an old friend- an old India hand- Sir Michael Arthur: between 2003 and 2007, he was the British High Commissioner to India! From High Commissioner to President Boeing International, he truly has come a long way and it was an absolute delight to catch up and rekindle old memories!
Sir Michael Arthur was appointed President of Boeing International on 22 April 2019 and reports to Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg and is also a member of the Boeing Executive Council, making him the council’s first non-US citizen.Arthur is responsible for the company’s international strategy and corporate operations outside the United States, overseeing 18 regional offices in key global markets. His responsibilities include developing the company’s growth and productivity initiatives outside the United States, forming new business and industrial partnerships, overseeing international affairs, enhancing Boeing’s local presence and providing global functional support.
Previously, Arthur was President of Boeing Europe and Managing Director of Boeing United Kingdom and Ireland. He joined the company in September 2014 to lead Boeing in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and he took on additional responsibilities for Europe in March 2016. In this role, Arthur led the company’s European strategy and operations to drive business growth through strengthened regional alignment and improved operating efficiencies. He was also responsible for coordinating all Boeing business activities enterprise wide in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Before joining Boeing, Arthur spent three decades of international government service with the British Diplomatic Service of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) followed by three years as a founding member of a United Kingdom–based business consultancy (and then an Ambassador to Germany and later High Commissioner to India).
As his first airshow outing as President Boeing International, Sir Michael Arthur was very proud of his company’s presence at the Paris Airshow 2019 where their theme was ‘Innovation, Partnerships and Safety’. He stated, “We are showcasing our broad range of commercial and defence products, services and technologies here and demonstrating our commitment to innovation, industry partnerships and safety. At our exhibit, visitors can immerse themselves in a large 360-degree theatre and learn more about the company's capabilities throughout the product life cycle. The interactive highlights Boeing's latest family of aircraft and services and give visitors a first look at the company's vision for the future of mobility.On the airfield, an Air Tahiti Nui 787-9 is demonstrating the breakthrough capabilities and innovations that have made the 787 a favourite of both operators and customers. A 737 Boeing Converted Freighter and passenger air vehicle (PAV) are also on static display. The US Department of Defenceis displaying several of our platforms including the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, the CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter, the F-15 fighter, the P-8 maritime patrol aircraft and the international air show debut of the KC-46 tanker”.
“Of these platforms, you (India) already have the P-8I which is performing extremely well and the Indian Navy is very happy with this. We hope to get more orders for the P-8 from the Indian Navy. The Apache and Chinooks are on their way and soon to be operationalised with the Indian Air Force and Army”.
As for Boeing’s worldwide outlook on the military front, “We project $2.5 trillion of defence and space opportunities during the next decade as governments modernise military platforms and systems, pursue new technologies and capabilities and accelerate exploration from sea to space. The projected spending – spanning military aircraft, autonomous systems, satellites, spacecraft and other products – continues to be global in nature with 40 percent of expenditures expected to originate outside of the United States. Supporting the defence, space and commercial platforms with life cycle solutions will fuel a services market valued at $3.1 trillion through 2028”.