Wilmington, OH, June 26, 2014—Wilmington Air Park and Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services (AMES) today hosted Ohio Governor John R. Kasich for the Grand Opening of a new maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) aircraft hangar in Wilmington, OH.
Leased by AMES, the hangar is located within the Wilmington Air Park, which is owned and operated by the Clinton County Port Authority. AMES is currently a tenant at the Wilmington Air Park, occupying over 200,000 square feet with its MRO operations. The addition of this hangar represents a capacity expansion of nearly 50 percent for AMES.
Construction of the hangar was supported by the State of Ohio, as well as many community organizations. In attendance for the initial announcement of the hangar project in 2012, the Governor is pleased to be part of the opening events.
The hangar is 105,000 square feet with 90-foot ceiling height. The two-bay facility can house two large-body passenger or cargo aircraft service lines independently. Airframes as large as a Boeing 777 or other Class IV aircraft can be accommodated in the hangar bays. The hangar includes a composite clean room ensuring humidity controlled, dust-free conditions. The space includes a segregated paint room facility with heat treat ovens. The hangar features a 15-ton crane capable of removing total tail sections, which enables AMES to provide specially certified repairs. This state-of-the-art crane system will serve as a major safety and efficiency benefit in the C Check process, a periodic inspection and repair program required of all airframes, and other heavy maintenance work performed at the facility
“With the addition of this hangar AMES is expanding our capabilities and revenue potential. Where we have been limited due to capacity constraints in the past, we can now attract larger fleet operators,” said Brady Templeton, President, Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services. “AMES is currently operating four nose-to-tail dock lines in our three hangars, allowing us to perform over 50 C Checks annually,” added Templeton.
The new hangar means job growth for the area. “This expansion by AMES brings another 259 highly-skilled workers to the Wilmington Air Park,” said JobsOhio President and Chief Investment Officer John Minor. “This facility is a key maintenance hub for large aircraft and, we believe, a significant attraction asset for other aviation and logistics companies.” At the end of a three-year period, it is anticipated that AMES employment at the Air Park will exceed 640 individuals.
The hangar was made possible by a joint financing effort. JobsOhio—in collaboration with local and regional partners—formulated a nearly $14.6 million financing package. The Clinton County Port Authority provided additional financial incentives and other donations amounting to over $2.7 million. Local grants from the City of Wilmington, Clinton County and Community Improvement Corporation of Wilmington amounted to $525,000. In addition, the City of Wilmington Schools and Laurel Oaks Vocational School entered into a 23-year tax increment financing agreement.
“This is a complex project and is an example of the level of cooperation needed to move our community forward. We are pleased to celebrate the grand opening of the hangar, and our local businesses and residents can see the efforts of making job creation priority number one,” said Kevin Carver, Executive Director, Clinton County Port Authority.
Representatives from organizations and offices that supported the hangar construction will be in attendance at the event. Elected officials were a supportive voice throughout the process.
“We are pleased that State Representative Cliff Rosenberger and other dignitaries will be joining us in the celebration of this new facility. Representative Rosenberger worked tirelessly to assist with regional partners to bring this project to fruition,” said Carver.
AMES and the Port Authority worked diligently to focus on Ohio-based vendors for the project where it could, and nearly 75 percent of the dollars spent were with Ohio companies. BASCON Inc. served as the general contractor for the hangar. BASCON is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and specializes in aviation construction. Konecranes, located in Springfield, Ohio, designed, manufactured and installed the crane system.
About the Clinton County Port Authority
The Port Authority is a special purpose government, under Ohio law, formed by the Clinton County Commissioners in 2004 to lead economic development in Clinton County, Ohio. A primary function of the Clinton County Port Authority is the creation and retention of jobs in Wilmington and Clinton County. The Port Authority also owns and manages the Wilmington Air Park, a 1,900 acre facility with two parallel, commercial runways and nearly 3 million sq. ft. of building space. The Port Authority works with regulatory agencies, development agencies and the community to bring economic growth to the county. Learn more at www.wilmingtonairpark.com.
About Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services, Inc.
AMES is a one-stop aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) provider with an exceptional record of supplying timely, reliable, and cost-effective services in Heavy Maintenance, Line Maintenance, Engineering and Manufacturing, Component Repair and Overhaul, and Material Sales. AMES is a wholly owned subsidiary of Air Transport Services Group (NASDAQ:ATSG). Visit AMES on the web at www.airbornemx.com.
