ST Engineering has announced the groundbreaking for a new aircraft maintenance hangar at the Pensacola International Airport. The construction of the new hangar is the first phase in the development of a 655,000 ft² airframe maintenance, repair & overhaul (MRO) complex that was originally announced in October 2018. The project expands on an existing two-bay wide-body hangar operated by ST Engineering. When fully completed, the expansion will add three large state-of-the-art hangars and associated support shops, and around 1.5 million labor hours to ST Engineering's annual capacity in Pensacola.
The total development cost for the airframe MRO complex is budgeted at US$210 million, funding for which comes from ST Engineering, Triumph Gulf Coast, the City of Pensacola, Escambia County, the State of Florida, and other state and federal organizations. The complex is expected to bring about 1,300 jobs to Pensacola. When combined with the first hangar, the total number of jobs at the facility will reach about 1,700. To meet the future demand for talent expected at the facility, ST Engineering is evaluating the creation of an Aviation Training Academy that would add an additional 150 graduates a year to the local aviation maintenance programs.
