USPS Publication Number 16300
T h is C o m mu n i t y N ewsp a p er is a pu bl ica t ion of E sca m bia / S a n t a Rosa B a r Assoc ia t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icial Ci rcu it
Section A, Page 1
Vol. 18, No. 29
Visit The Summation Weekly Online: www.summationweekly.com
July 25, 2018
1 Section, 12 Pages
MRO push showing success
requirements, and enrue we meet our planned capture rate as we continue to grow,” Gary Pratt, PSA Airlines vice president of maintenance and engineering, said in a statement.
PSA operates 35 Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft, 40 Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft and 54 Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft. The airline expects to add additional aircraft bringing its fleet count to150. PSA’s selection of Pensacola for its new facility is only the latest milestone in the region’s effort to capture some of the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry. Those efforts have been a collaboration between state and local agencies including the Gov. Rick Scott’s office, the City of Pensacola, the Escambia County School Board, Pensacola State College. Aerospace training programs have in recent years been implemented at the George Stone Technical College and at PSC.
develop additional taxiways, ramps and other infrastructure at Pensacola International Airport. The efforts to gain a foothold in the MRO business in Pensacola extend back to 2013 when Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward and Scott Luth ¬– then of the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce – met with executives of VT MAE in Mobile and its parent company, Singapore Technologies Engineering, in Singapore. The deal resulting from those meetings came to fruition last month with the opening of VT MAE’s 1730,000 square-foot facility at the airport and its promise to create 400 jobs. Luth said the aerospace industry has taken notice of Pensacola’s efforts to establish
the programs, we’ve put in the workforce here, and obviously the facilities at the airport are excellent so it’s drawing a lot of attention,” Luth said. Officials hope to continue expanding the MRO industry locally. The City of Pensacola in December submitted a $130 million request to Triumph Gulf Coast to fund the lion’s share of $200 million expansion of VT MAE’s facilities that would, in turn, secure another 1,325 jobs for Pensacola at an average wage of $44,500. The project would include three additional hangars, as well as warehouse and administrative buildings. The Triumph board has voiced support for the city’s proposal but has said it would like to see additional funding partners added to the project.
According to the company’s website, PSA employs more than 3,900 people and operates more than 800 daily flights to nearly 100 destinations.
In March, Gov. Rick’s Scott’s office announced the awarding of $4 million in Florida Job Growth Grant Funding for the City of Pensacola to
an MRO workforce pipeline and develop infrastructure to accommodate the industry. “One of the reasons we’re doing so well is we’ve put in
If the bid is successful, VT MAE and PSA may just be the first of many companies that decide Pensacola is the place for them.
By Will Isern
Efforts to grow Pensacola into a regional hub for aircraft maintenance continue to show success with the announcement that PSA Airlines will open a new maintenance facility at Pensacola International Airport. The announcement comes as VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering Inc., a subsidiary of a Singaporean company, recently began operations at its new $46 million maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at Pensacola International Airport. PSA Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines, will add between 30 and 35 jobs at the airport to support growing its fleet by about 20 aircraft, the company said. Jobs will include mechanics, managers, inspectors and stores personnel, among others. PSA expects to open its maintenance facility in October 2018. In a news release, PSA said Pensacola was an ideal location for the new facility because of the area’s workforce, military presence and technical schools. PSA has seven other maintenance facilities throughout Ohio, Virginia the Carolinas and Georgia. “The addition of (Pensacola) will enhance PSA’s reliability, provide much needed flexibility in meeting our maintenance program
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