LAKE CHARLES, LA-Chicago-based AAR Corp. unveiled its intentions to develop a 750-job aircraft maintenance, repair and overall operation at Chennault International Airport. To that end, the company will occupy approximately 520,000 square feet for its MRO service and administration activities, plus an additional 118,000 square feet in the under-construction Hangar H.
Along with this, the aerospace manufacturer will hang on to approximately 250 former employees of predecessor Aeroframe Services, while creating 500 new direct jobs with an average salary of more than $46,600 a year, plus benefits. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in an additional 526 new indirect jobs in the area, for a total of more than 1,000 new jobs.
AAR is a leading provider of products and services for the aerospace, government and defense industries. Headquartered near O'Hare International Airport, AAR employs approximately 7,000 people at more than 60 locations in 17 countries. The company provides aviation services for large commercial airlines, including American, Delta, United and Southwest Airlines; cargo carriers, such as DHL, UPS and FedEx; and governments and militaries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Turkey and others.
“The AAR presence will expand the types and numbers of aircraft that will be worked at the Chennault facility,” says Randy Robb, executive director of the Chennault International Airport Authority. “Since AAR is the largest aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul organization in the United States and the third-largest in the world, Chennault anticipates significant growth in both jobs and commerce at the site. AAR selected the Chennault location based upon the fact that the facilities met their needs and because of the apparent teamwork they observed between the State of Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish, the City of Lake Charles and Chennault.”
Along those lines, the construction of the $21.5 million Hangar H made Chennault an attractive site for AAR's expansion in Louisiana. The state provided a competitive incentive package to secure the company's investment in Lake Charles, including the services of LED FastStart and a performance-based grant of $2 million to reimburse capital investments in tooling and other equipment at Chennault needed to support AAR's expanded operation. Additionally, AAR is expected to utilize the state's Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.
The State of Louisiana also will partner with SOWELA Technical Community College in Lake Charles to establish a national Aircraft MRO Center of Excellence there, which will support the training of employees and create a pipeline of talent for AAR and other aviation service providers in the region, such as Northrop Grumman. The State will provide $3.7 million in funding for enhancements to the curriculum in structures, systems and avionics; replacement and expansion of technical training equipment needed for these programs; accelerated hiring of national-caliber talent to provide leadership and training expertise for the program; and updated aerospace labs for students to practice and qualify for certification and jobs through hands-on lab work.
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