APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Since it added more flights late last year, Air Wisconsin’s fleet has outgrown its facility at Appleton International Airport.
So, the airline announced Tuesday it will be building a brand new 30,000 sq. ft. hangar this year at the airport, all so the company can maintain its planes.
“We actually already have four now, and two of them are being worked on the outside,” Air Wisconsin President & CEO Christine Deister said. “That obviously isn’t going to work when the winter weather comes along.”
Plus, 7,000 sq. ft. of office space will be attached to the new hangar.
This growth will create approximately 80 new jobs at Air Wisconsin over the next six months, helping to boost the local economy
“These are exactly the kind of careers that we want to keep our young people here in the Fox Cities and in the state of Wisconsin,” Gov. Scott Walker said. “That’s really our goal in all of these, whether it’s Air Wisconsin or other announcements like this is, ‘how do we find more careers to keep our graduates here in the state of Wisconsin and in communities close to areas where they grew up in?”
The jobs the expansion will generate include highly skilled maintenance planners, aircraft mechanics and aircraft cleaners. Salaries for these jobs, according to Deister, will be around $50,000 and up, depending on the individual’s skill set.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is also working with Air Wisconsin to potentially offer financial incentives from the state to help fund the expansion project.
Air Wisconsin contracts with United Airlines to fly United Express flights to 70 cities, many flights to and from Chicago O’Hare.
For the expansion, the airline hopes to begin in July and be done by the end of 2018.
