MRO and completions specialist Flying Colours has expanded to a fifth hangar at the Spirit of St Louis Airport in Chesterfield, Missouri. The building adds 30,000ft² (2,787m²) to the company’s footprint at the airport. Flying Colours opened an expanded cabinetry and interiors workshop there in January 2018.
Since taking over the hangar lease in December 2018, the local team has been outfitting the building, installing new tooling and supplementary maintenance equipment, as well as revamping the office décor. The completed facility can accommodate three large jets simultaneously, for maintenance, avionics and interior work. The company expects the hangar to support heavy maintenance work initially – two Bombardier Global aircraft are already in-situ for 120-month heavy maintenance checks.
The company is also on a recruitment drive – planning to employ more than 50 extra maintenance engineers, technicians and administrative support personnel, bringing the St Louis workforce to more than 200.
Meanwhile, the company is building a fourth hangar at its headquarters in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. That hangar will be used for completions, refurbishment, maintenance and paint work. There will be a new dedicated paint shop for Bombardier and Gulfstream large jets, and executive airliners.
“Our business continues to grow as we build our reputation for maintenance, refurbishments and completion projects on time and on budget,” said Sean Gillespie, executive vice president at Flying Colours. “Our customers also value the fact we can run interiors and maintenance simultaneously, so reducing down time. We were turning work away in St Louis so it’s great to have the hangar ready and open for operations.”
