WILMINGTON, Ohio — Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services, Inc. (AMES) and the Clinton County Port Authority report they have completed the necessary arrangements to proceed with the financing and construction of a new hangar facility at the Wilmington Air Park (ILN).
Construction of the facility is scheduled to begin in January and will take approximately 12-14 months to complete. Preparation of the construction site is already underway. When finished, the 100,000-square-foot facility will be capable of housing multiple aircraft as large as a Boeing 747-400 or Boeing 777-300ER. The hangar will be owned by the Port Authority and occupied by AMES.
The project represents not only the development of a new $15.5 million hangar at the Wilmington Air Park, but the creation of 259 new jobs, officials note. In addition to the State of Ohio financing package of over $14 million that was negotiated, the Port Authority agreed to additional financial incentives and other donations amounting to just over $3 million, from its own resources. Local grants from the City of Wilmington, Clinton County and the Wilmington Community Improvement Corporation for this project amounted to $525,000.
The project represents an expansion in hangar capacity of almost 50% for AMES, and will result in the eventual creation of hundreds of new jobs. “We are already recruiting additional personnel,” noted AMES Director of Human Resources Debbie Loveless, “and we will continue to ramp up employment through the construction phase.” At the end of a three-year period, it is anticipated that AMES employment at the Wilmington Air Park will exceed 640 individuals.
The new hangar will be located in the center of the Air Park, adjacent to the existing hangar complex which is currently being utilized by AMES. The location was chosen because of its close proximity to the existing hangars, the availability of utilities and the ability to utilize existing ramp space at the Air Park.
For more information: WilmingtonAirPark.com, Airbornemx.com
