West Star Details $17M MRO Expansion in Chattanooga

Following up on West Star Aviation’s announcement last week that it will undertake a significant expansion of three of four of its primary MRO facilities, the company on Tuesday unveiled further details of its planned expansion at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (KCHA) in Tennessee.

The expansion plan calls for retrofitting one of its existing hangars there for a new design studio along with the construction of a 40,000-sq-ft hangar along with 17,000 sq ft for shops and other uses. It also will lease an existing 20,000-sq-ft hangar from the airport. In all, West Star will occupy 256,828 sq ft at the airport.

Cost of the expansion is $17 million, which will be funded in part by a grant from the state of Tennessee. In addition, West Star will create an additional 100 jobs as part of the expansion. The company currently employs more than 250 people at KCHA, where it acquired operations in 2015.

“We remain committed to the Chattanooga community and its residents,” said West Star CEO Jim Rankin. “We want to continue to be proactive in our approach to growth in the area. This would not be possible without the trust and confidence placed in West Star Aviation by the state of Tennessee and the surrounding community.”