West Star Aviation announced plans to expand its MRO facility at East Alton, Illinois (ALN); officially breaking ground on 6 July 2023.
Once complete, the expansion will add 75,700ft² of space, bringing the total facility to just over 500,000ft² of hangar, backshop, modification and paintshop space. In all, the expansion will include 40,000ft² of new hangar capacity, 22,300ft² of additional backshop space, and 13,400ft² of additional storage space.
West Star is working with Contegra Construction and the St Louis Regional Airport. Site preparation will start this Summer with completion expected in early Spring 2024.
“The current expansion project for East Alton, Illinois, will ensure West Star Aviation will be well-positioned to meet our customers’ needs,” said Jim Rankin, CEO, West Star Aviation. “This expansion, along with the new hangar in Chattanooga, Tennessee, scheduled to open for business at the end of this month, shows our continued commitment to implementing sustainable growth that benefits our customers, employees and the surrounding communities.”
“The recent rapid growth in the MRO industry has accelerated the need to add additional space to our facilities, allowing us to better serve our valued customers in a timely manner,” said Brian Bauwens, general manager at the East Alton facility.
“Contegra Construction is proud to partner with West Star Aviation to lead the design-build process for Hangar 67,” said Jared Lengermann, project director, Contegra Construction. “This is the third hangar project Contegra has partnered with West Star in the past 10 years.”
