Employees, dignitaries and community members joined Able Aerospace Services, a Textron Aviation Inc. company, Thursday to officially open a $9 million building expansion at Able's headquarters facility, located within Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, Arizona.
The expansion adds 60,000 square feet to Able's existing 200,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art campus. Able will use the expansion to incorporate new technology into its industry-leading aircraft component repair and overhaul process and to diversify into new product and service offerings, including aftermarket support for large-scale rotor-wing and commercial fixed-wing components.
To support this growth, Able anticipates creating up to 100 new skilled aerospace jobs over the next two years, particularly for licensed airframe and powerplant mechanics, machinists and plating and paint specialists, as well as positions in engineering, sales and supply chain.
"Able has earned a reputation for identifying where our customers need support and responding to that need with world-class aftermarket services," said Able Aerospace Services General Manager Michael Vercio. "This expansion is the latest example of that ability. It is an outward sign of the internal employee talent that drives our success."
"We are proud that Able Aerospace Services has expanded in Southeast Mesa," said City of Mesa Mayor John Giles. "They are an exceptional business leader in aerospace maintenance, repair and overhaul for both military and civilian aircraft, and it has been exciting to watch their number of high-quality jobs grow since moving to the Gateway area in 2013. We are thrilled to welcome up to 100 more new jobs with this expansion."
Since relocating from Phoenix to Mesa in 2013, Able has added more than 200 employees and expanded its footprint with new mezzanine space, a new paint facility and the Able Maintenance Center, featuring hangar space directly linked to the runway at Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport. In 2015, Able was acquired by Textron Aviation, Inc., becoming an essential component of the aviation company's global customer service network.
"Able's increased investment at Gateway Airport brings new capabilities and a significant number of additional high-wage jobs to the region," said Gila River Indian Community Lt. Governor and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority (PMGAA) Chairman Robert Stone. "PMGAA congratulates Able and is proud they have continued to find success and growth at Gateway Airport."
From its purpose-built location, Able delivers more than 10,000 FAA-approved component repair, overhaul, parts and aircraft completion solutions for civilian and military, fixed- and rotor-wing operators in more than 60 countries. The Able Maintenance Center - located within the Able campus - delivers airframe repair and completion services, avionics upgrades and full paint services. All in-house work is completed by Able's team of more than 450 highly trained mechanics, engineers, customer service and sales specialists.
About Able Aerospace Services
Able Aerospace Services is a leading supplier of component MRO, approved replacement parts and completion services. With headquarters and maintenance facilities on the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (KIWA) in Mesa, Arizona, Able's products and services support almost 1,500 commercial and military fixed- and rotor-wing aviation customers in more than 60 countries. Able combines more than three decades of aviation experience with a staff of approximately 400 employees to accomplish its mission: To safely reduce aircraft operating costs by providing resourceful component repair, overhaul and approved replacement parts solutions. Able is an approved Bell Helicopter Service Center and certified by numerous airworthiness authorities including the FAA, EASA, ANAC, CAAC, JCAB, DGCA and others.
About Textron Aviation Inc.
Textron Aviation Inc. is the leading general aviation authority and home to the Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands, which account for more than half of all general aviation aircraft flying. The Textron Aviation brands represent unrivalled innovation, performance and leadership in the industry, and offer an unmatched value proposition rooted in the total ownership experience. Leveraging unparalleled speed-to-market, Textron Aviation provides the most versatile and comprehensive business and general aviation product portfolio in the world through five principal lines of business: business jets, general aviation and special mission turboprop aircraft, high performance piston aircraft, military trainer and defense aircraft and a complete global customer service organization. Textron Aviation has delivered more than 250,000 aircraft in over 143 countries. Its broad range of products include such best-selling aircraft as Citation business jets, King Air and Caravan turboprops and T-6 military trainer aircraft, all of which are backed by the industry's most capable global service network. For more information, visit www.txtav.com.
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.