Teesside International Airport, located in Northeastern England, recently announced that Florida-based Willis Lease Finance Corp. (WLFC) has begun the planning process for an up to £25 million investment in a new aircraft maintenance facility and FBO, potentially creating create 200 new jobs. WLFC has had a base at Teesside since 2020.
WLFC has taken over the operations of the airport’s existing FBO, now known as Jet Centre by Willis, and intends to build maintenance hangars on 13 acres of land. Jet Centre by Willis provides a full range of ground handling services for business, private aviation, military, and cargo flights.
In December 2021, Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen flew to the U.S. to negotiate the investment face-to-face with WLFC. A planning application is expected to be submitted in the coming weeks.
"Our routes and summer holiday flights are obviously hugely important to the success of our airport, but for any airport to really thrive it has to be about more than just holiday flights," Houchen said. "Willis's multimillion-pound private sector investments will truly secure our airport’s future, and this is potentially the largest we’ve seen in years."