Southwest Airlines opened a $125 million, 240,000-square-foot maintenance facility at Hobby Airport on Wednesday, making it the largest maintenance facility for the Dallas-based airline.
“It’s proof of our devotion and our dedication to Houston,” Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said during a grand opening celebration. “And the opportunity that we see here, and the excitement that we have to continue to grow.”
Read the full version of this story at HoustonChronicle.com: Southwest opens massive hangar as it sees international travel take off
The facility has 140,000 square feet of hangar space, large enough to hold six Boeing 737 planes, and 100,000 square feet of offices, parts storage and other support areas, including a parts fabrication area and paint booth. Outside the hangar is 450,000 square feet of apron paving, capable of accommodating an additional eight planes for maintenance, and two wash stations.
Houston was one of Southwest’s original cities, as the carrier started flying in 1971 between Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. It operates more than 90 percent of the flights out of Hobby, and it was instrumental in reopening Houston's southern airport to international travel. Southwest completed the construction of a $146 million international concourse in 2015.
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