Last year, Duncan Aviation announced plans to expand its facility at the Provo Airport. Though it’s hit a bump, the company is moving ahead.
David Walter, director of the Provo Redevelopment Agency, told the city council and Provo School Board on Thursday that the company had hit a regulatory snag. But the project, which would add up to 700 jobs over 15 years, is still on track.
The plan is to add a business aircraft maintenance, modification and paint complex to its existing facility at the airport. The maintenance and modifications building will be 166,000 square feet, and the paint facility 53,000 square feet. The company plans to invest about $50 million into the expansion. The new jobs will include aviation engineers, machinists and managers.
“They’re still very bullish on Provo,” Walter said.
And though they’re still working through the regulatory snag, Walter said the company has started construction. “They are still moving forward, a little slower than we would like.”
Also, it’s still on track for occupancy in 2019, hiring 400 to 500 people to start, he said. And the company has included some of phase 2 into phase 1.
“Six years ago, 14 Duncan Aviation team members ventured west to start Duncan Aviation’s newest heavy maintenance location,” Bill Prochazka, chief operating officer of Duncan Aviation’s Provo location, said last year. … “Today, we are 40 strong, on our way to 400 plus.”
In addition to the expansion, the company has partnered with Provo School District on an aviation class at Provo High. Utah Valley University also is partnering with the district for the class, which starts in the fall.
According to the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Duncan Aviation is the world’s largest privately owned business jet support facility. It has full-service locations in Provo, Lincoln, Nebraska and Battle Creek, Michigan. It also has 20 other facilities in the U.S.