Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire says she has been having talks and building a relationship with Boeing's chief rival, Airbus.

Gregoire said Wednesday from England that she first had conversations with Airbus a year ago and indicated that the state was ready to work with the manufacturer if Airbus wanted to build a new plant in Washington. She said the talks were held with the blessing of Boeing, which is one of Washington's top employers.

Airbus recently chose Alabama for a new production site.

Gregoire says the talks were initially greeted with skepticism from Airbus but that those barriers have been knocked down. She says Airbus has high regard for the hundreds of aerospace suppliers that operate in Washington, and she sees plenty of opportunity to work with the company.

Gregoire met with Airbus officials again this week at the Farnborough Air Show in London.