Allegiant Air to Spend $50 Million to Create Concord Airport Base, Add Dozens of Jobs

Allegiant Travel Company will spend $50 million to establish a base at Concord-Padgett Regional Airport, the company announced Wednesday.

The company, which operates Allegiant Air, will create at least 66 jobs and house two Airbus aircrafts at the airport near Charlotte, according to the company’s statement.

The deal involved incentives from both Concord City Council and Cabarrus County Commissioners. Taxpayer incentives in the form of development grants would not be more than $123,650 total, according to Allegiant and local officials. That includes up to $48,649 from the city of Concord and $75,001 from Cabarrus County.

The airline has flown out of Concord since 2013, and currently has seven non-stop routes, including one to New Orleans and six to cities in Florida.

Allegiant wouldn’t say if the announcement would lead to new destinations from the Concord airport. But spokeswoman Hilarie Grey said the base does give Allegiant the ability to add new flights on existing and new routes.

Visitor spending hit more than $469 million in Cabarrus County in 2018 — and increased air travel in Concord could push that number higher, Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bureau President Donna Carpenter said in a statement.

“These enhancements will fuel that figure,” she said.

Hiring starts now

The airline expects to begin base operations at the Concord airport on Oct. 7, making Concord the airline’s 21st aircraft base.

Allegiant flew 353,000 passengers through Concord-Padgett Regional Airport last year.

The company said it will immediately begin hiring pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and ground personnel. The new jobs “are expected to offer salaries that are more than double the state’s average wage,” Allegiant said in the statement.

The average private sector wage in North Carolina as of January was $51,758, according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

“Concord is an ideal location for an Allegiant base,” Allegiant Vice President of government affairs Keith Hansen said in the statement. “Having locally-based operations will mean opportunities for expanded hours, as well as more – and more frequent – flight offerings for residents and visitors alike.”

Allegiant has more than 4,300 employees across the country.

Job seekers can apply for Concord-based jobs online at https://www.allegiantair.com/careers/home-page.

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