AAR has begun hiring to ramp up work its new 238,000-sq-ft MRO facility in Rockford, Illinois. The location, which is about 70 miles east of AAR’s headquarters in Wood Dale, Illinois, will provide the company a significant MRO presence just outside the Chicago area, complementing its other major U.S. MRO centers in Duluth, Minnesota; Oklahoma City; Lake Charles, Louisiana; Miami and Indianapolis.
The facility, with two 10-story hangars, can accommodate the largest of airliners, including the double-deck Airbus A380. The center recently began work after receiving its FAA certification. Initial work has included landing gear services on a few aircraft that were originally slated for AAR’s Miami facility.
AAR, which recently held a job fair, initially is hiring for 30 key positions, but plans call for the company eventually to hire up to 500 workers at Rockford. In addition to the job fairs, AAR has been working with the local Rock Valley College on a new aviation program that the company hopes will result in a solid pipeline of talent, AAR said.