Aerospace Sales Expected to Rise in 2004; Connecticut Firms Poised to Profit.

By Michael Remez, The Hartford Courant, Conn. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Dec. 11--WASHINGTON--The American aerospace industry should see a slight increase in total sales in 2004 -- the first since 2001 -- as defense spending continues to grow and the slide in commercial business levels off, John Douglass, president of the Aerospace Industries Association, said Wednesday.

Douglass predicted commercial sales will decline slightly in 2004, remain largely flat in 2005 and then grow in 2006. He also predicted growth in aerospace employment, starting