MRO training center gets funding

PENSACOLA, Fla. — The U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration is investing $12.25 million in the city of Pensacola to help establish a new aircraft maintenance training facility at Pensacola International Airport (PNS), officials said Thursday. The money will be matched by more than $36 million in local and state funds. The new facility, a 175,000 square foot hangar, will be used for commercial and technological aviation and will create 400 jobs. ST Engineering says the new facility will have state of the art technology including robotic delivery systems. The building will be able to withstand winds of 170 mph. Mayor Grover Robinson says this is a part of "Project Titan," which will eventually include four hangars, the one already operating, the one announced Thursday and two more at the PNS campus. The new hangar will be similar to the first, but a significant difference will be the attachment of a 65,000 square-foot support services center. “The Support Services Center will enclose all of our customer reps’ offices; it will have our engineering areas, it will have our procurement, our logistics management will be there,” said Bill Hafner, president of ST Engineering in Mobile, Ala. (Sources: WEAR-TV, WUWF, NorthEscambia.com, 07/18/19) Previous