After breaking ground on the project in November 2022, Miami-based FEAM Aero unveiled its second aircraft maintenance hangar on the campus of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Thursday afternoon.
As CVG’s cargo operation grows, the airport requires more support infrastructure to buttress the industry’s expanded footprint. CVG is home to Amazon Air and DHL Express North American hubs, two of the largest air cargo campuses in the United States.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear was at the airport Thursday afternoon to christen its completion and tout the number of jobs it would create.
“This $45 million expansion is creating 250 full time jobs,” Beshear said. “That’s on top of 300 that they already employ.”
Currently, the U.S. is in the midst of an aircraft mechanic shortage. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national aviation industry needs to fill 12,000 aircraft mechanic positions annually to keep up with the pace of growth.
Jobs created at the hangar include aircraft mechanics and technicians, ground support equipment mechanics, administrative personnel and management positions.
CVG CEO Candace McGraw mentioned the airport is looking to build an ecosystem that directly supports the cargo operation expansion.
“We’ve been blessed to be able to grow this airport,” McGraw said. “Just last year alone — from the the 17th largest cargo airport in the world to the 12th largest cargo airport in the world. We’re only just beginning that journey, through our great partners through Atlas and DHL and Amazon and the other carriers that are here who are building this ecosystem.“
The 150,000-square-foot hangar cost approximately $45 million to complete. It can accommodate three widebody jets at one time, including the Boeing 777, 767, and 747 aircraft that serve the DHL Express and Amazon Air hubs at CVG.
The new hangar will complement FEAM Aero’s first facility, which opened back in 2020. It is a smaller, nearly 100,000-square-foot facility that can only accommodate one widebody aircraft at a time. The facility garnered a $20 million investment from FEAM Aero.
FEAM Aero CEO Fred Murphy touted CVG and Northern Kentucky as willing collaborators in the hangar project.
“We’re business partners. We have a vision, we explain it, and then everybody does the job to help make it a reality,” Murphy said.
In addition to the maintenance facility, FEAM Aero is partnering with Florida-based Epic Flight Academy to create a school dedicated to developing mechanics who are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.
