Seattle becomes the sixth American city with service by Emirates Airline, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. The airline is a big Boeing customer, helping make Washington the biggest state exporter to the Arabian peninsula country. Exports totaled $2.75 billion in 2011. In addition to the big transportation sector, $119 million in Washington agricultural products were exported, as well as $24 million in computer and electronics products.
According to Danny Sebright, President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, “the U.A.E. and Washington have shared a rich exchange of goods and ideas in the areas of aerospace, agriculture, information technology, and manufacturing. Washington-based companies such as Boeing Commercial Aircraft, Microsoft, and Starbucks have been instrumental in driving this flow and expansion of commerce. Further, this exchange has helped to support American jobs with a growing number of exports leaving Seattle’s port for the Emirates — a transit point to significant Asian markets, including China and India; and America’s top export market in the broader Middle East North Africa region.”
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