Helicopter Maker Plans $32M Expansion

PHILADELPHIA-AgustaWestland Philadelphia has revealed plans for a $32-million expansion of its North American headquarters on 40 acres at 3050 Red Lion Rd. near the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. This comes on the heels of the opening of a 168,000-sf helicopter assembly facility and will take overall space at the complex to 284,000 sf.

The company, which is a subsidiary of Rome-based Finmeccanica SPA, is headquartered in the UK and has offices in Reston, VA, and plants and offices in Italy and the UK. It came to Philadelphia in the early 1980s, opened a 75,000-sf maintenance facility in 1988 and completed the 168,000-sf assembly addition this year.

In addition to the assembly of a growing line of commercial helicopters, this facility also provides customer support for a fleet of more than 360 helicopters in the Americas and provides flight and maintenance training activities. The new expansion will add 150 new jobs and take the company’s overall local employment above 500.