Rockford, Ill. – The Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) announced today that it has received a prestigious recognition from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC-IL). The airport, along with partners Crawford, Murphy & Tilly and Larson & Darby, received an Honor Award for the AAR Aircraft Maintenance and Overhaul Facility (MRO).

The Honor Award is given for those projects which are recognized for exceptional engineering that meet the needs of the owner and benefit the public welfare. RFD and its partners were recognized at the Engineering Excellence Awards banquet on February 8. As an Honor Award recipient at the state level, the project was advanced to the national award program. The airport received notification on February 19th that the project had been honored with a “National Recognition Award” recognizing the exceptional engineering achievement related to MRO development at RFD.

“This project displays the dedication of our staff, board and partners and I want to thank them for their commitment to making this possible,” said Mike Dunn, RFD Executive Director. “RFD is committed to collaborating with our partners to participate in projects that create jobs and make our region a better place to live, work and play, and we are honored to have received this recognition from ACEC-IL and ACEC.”

Since 1967, U.S. engineering firms have entered their most innovative projects and studies in ACEC's Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) program — "the Academy Awards of the engineering industry" — which honors the year's most outstanding engineering accomplishments. Projects that are winners at state level EEA competitions are eligible for ACEC's national EEA competition.

In August 2016, AAR Corp. and RFD opened the $40 million MRO facility, the largest of its kind in North America. The facility allows aircraft to be serviced efficiently and effectively in the heart of the Midwest. The project was completed on time and on budget and has already brought more than 300 jobs to the region. The project’s 52,000 bolts; 1,000 tons of steel; 200,000 sq. feet of PVC; and twin hangar complex makes this one of the largest pre-engineered structures of its kind. The facility is equipped to repair some of the largest aircraft in the world including Boeing 747-8s, 777s and 787s, and wide-body jets including the Airbus A380. It can also handle and repair military jets.

Additionally, AAR Corp. plans to provide opportunities for jobs for graduates of the Rock Valley College (RVC) Aviation Maintenance (AMT) Program which was strategically built just across the road from the AAR facility. The RVC AMT Program was designed to promote economic development and position a more strongly educated and aligned workforce for the region.

RFD leadership and its partners will be recognized during the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala on April 17 in Washington D.C.

The Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) is Chicago’s low-cost airport for cargo and passenger services. RFD is served by two passenger airlines, Allegiant Air and Swift Air and serves eight non-stop destinations. RFD is expected to reach the top 20 airports by cargo volume within the next two years. The airport is home to the second largest UPS hub in North America and ABX Air, ATI, and Atlas Air, which supports daily flights from one of the world’s top consumer internet companies. For more information on RFD and flight schedules, visit FlyRFD.com.