Gov. Gregoire: Our Aerospace Industry is Statewide G ov. Chris Gregoire, having just returned from the Paris Air Show, attended the dedication of a new XN Air aviation facility at Spokane International Airport on June 21, where she was briefed on the progress of several airport improvement projects, including construction of a new, 264- ft. (80- m.) air traffic control tower (below). XN Air services avionics equipment and performs aircraft maintenance for private aircraft operators. The $1.5 million investment was financed in large part by a low- interest loan and grant financing from Washington's Community Economic Revitalization Board. Gov. Chris Gregoire (right) was in Spokane in June to attend the dedication of XN Air's new facility at Spokane International Airport, and to stress the importance of eastern Washington's contribution to the state's aerospace industry. Spokane Mayor Dennis Hession (center) also was in attendance at the event, hosted by XN Air's president, John Hale (left).    Airport improvements, which include a runway extension and new taxiways, will cost $83 million over three years and will help attract additional aviation- related businesses to the area. Two other such companies, Absolute Aviation Services and Empire Airlines, are relocating to new facilities at the airport.    "We made it clear at the Paris Air Show that yes, we were proud of the Boeing Company, and yes we were proud that we were able to secure the assembly line for the 787," said Gov. Gregoire. "But there is much more to Washington State's aerospace industry than the Boeing Company located in Everett and Renton. We are a state that supports the aerospace industry as a whole, and our entire state is a home to that industry."    The governor has high hopes for the Spokane area's contribution to the state's aerospace industry and to its overall economic prospects. "If our airport here is not world class, if we are not able to have the largest of cargo come here and leave here, then we will not be able to enjoy the kind of economic potential this region deserves," she asserted.