Roughly $40 million will go towards constructing a new hangar at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). It's expected to be complete by the end of 2023.
The facility will be 150,000 square feet and be able to hold wide-body aircrafts as large as the Boeing 767 Freighter. Roughly 200 additional "high-paying" aircraft mechanic jobs will be created once the hangar is built. CVG spokesperson Mindy Kershner says this project will support cargo carriers utilizing the airport for years to come.
"We have seen 100% growth in cargo over the last five years," Kershner said. "This hangar and the services that it'll bring will enable that growth to continue."
While this will impact cargo at the airport, Kershner says passengers could see benefits as well.
"Now if there is an aircraft here that can originate because it can get the maintenance that it requires, then it can originate here at CVG," Kershner said. "That has a capacity to offer additional flight frequencies, maybe for an existing route that we already have."
Construction will be overseen by FEAM AERO, who also built a maintenance hangar at CVG in 2020. That hangar cost roughly $19 million to build and can hold aircrafts as large as the Boeing 747 commercial plane. FEAM AERO CEO Fred Murphy says it's an accomplishment to expand their presence at CVG.
"Our initial success with our first hangar, and immediate demand for expansion, confirms that we are in the right place, at the right time, with the right partners," Murphy said in a statement.
CVG CEO Candice McGraw says it shares a vision with FEAM to develop needed infrastructure and services to support continued growth of cargo carriers at the airport.
"The airport’s current strategic plan outlines the transformational impact we can make for our region, and this project does just that through job creation and capacity building to grow and diversify cargo operations," McGraw said in a statement.
A groundbreaking for the new hangar is planned to take place this summer. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
Amazon opened its central air hub at CVG last year, which cost roughly $1.5 billion to build. CVG leased 900 acres to Amazon for 50 years for the 3-million-square foot facility. To land the deal, Kentucky brought $45 million to the table in incentives. DHL also has a shipping hub at CVG, which the company's invested more than $280 million into since 2009.
This story has been updated.
