Pilatus Aircraft Breaks Ground on 18-acre Florida Site

Pilatus Aircraft executives, along with airport and local officials, broke ground today on the company's 70,000-sq-ft sales and service facility at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (KSRQ), with opening set for fourth-quarter 2027. The $50 million project is the first of two, and possibly three, construction phases for the OEM at KSRQ, which will see a 110,000-sq-ft adjacent PC-12 production plant added by the end of this decade. Its total investment at KSRQ will be about $200 million.

Pilatus holds an 18-acre leasehold on the north side of the airfield for the first two construction phases, and has an option for an adjacent lot that could be used to add an aircraft paint facility and training center under a proposed phase 3 project. The MRO and sales facility—Pilatus’ fourth factory-owned service center in the U.S.—will have 40,000 sq ft of shop floor space, with the remainder holding shops, back office space, aircraft design room, and delivery center.

Bryan Bell, Pilatus Aircraft USA director of MRO for the Southeast U.S., told AIN that the company is leasing two existing hangars at KSRQ to immediately begin line maintenance and minor aircraft checks until the permanent MRO facility opens later next year. When it opens, Bell expects to have about 30 maintenance technicians on staff and intends to grow this workforce with locals, thanks in part to a new A&P mechanic school opening in the area.

Sustainability and hurricane-proofing are also being incorporated into the 70,000-sq-ft building, which will be LEED Gold rated, according to Thomas Cook, the CEO of construction management firm Tectonic. Solar panels will be fitted onto the roof to reduce grid energy usage, and well water will be used for irrigation to lessen the impact on public utilities. Cook also said it will have a raised finished floor for flood mitigation, while the sides and roof will be built to wind code plus a 15% margin for hurricane protection.

According to Thomas Bosshard, president and CEO of Pilatus Aircraft USA, the KSRQ assembly facility will manufacture all PC-12 turboprop singles for the North American market—a planned production rate of more than 70 aircraft per year. Markus Bucher, CEO of Swiss-based parent Pilatus Aircraft, added that this marks the first time the company will produce aircraft outside of Switzerland.

Bucher noted that Florida was immediately identified as a key location when Pilatus started planning its U.S. strategy three years ago, citing a study that found wealth is moving from California to the Sunshine State. KSRQ was selected “because Pilatus wanted to be where other OEMs aren’t,” and the available land was sufficient for current and future needs.

He also pointed out that 50% of Pilatus suppliers are based in the U.S., adding, “So it makes sense to build airplanes here for North American customers.” Bucher said the plan is to “zero out” material exchange between the U.S. and Switzerland, meaning Pilatus’ component imports to the U.S. would equal exports of parts to its plant in Stans, Switzerland.