West Star today announced plans to expand their East Alton, IL (ALN) MRO facility. They will officially break ground on July 6th, 2023.

Once complete, the expansion will add 75,700-square-feet of space bringing the total facility to just over 500,000 square-feet of hangar, back shop, modification, and paint space. In all, the expansion will include 40,000 square feet of new hangar capacity, 22,300 square-feet of additional back shop space, and 13,400 square-feet of additional storage space.

West Star is working with Contegra Construction and the St. Louis Regional Airport. Site preparation will start this summer with completion expected in early Spring, 2024.

“The current expansion project for East Alton, Illinois will ensure West Star Aviation will be well-positioned to meet our customers’ needs. This expansion along with the new hangar in Chattanooga, Tennessee scheduled to open for business at the end of this month, shows our continued commitment to implementing sustainable growth that benefits our customers, employees, and the surrounding communities,” said Jim Rankin, CEO, West Star Aviation.

“The recent rapid growth in the MRO industry has accelerated the need to add additional space to our facilities, allowing us to better serve our valued customers in a timely manner,” said Brian Bauwens, General Manager (ALN).

“Contegra Construction is proud to partner with West Star Aviation to lead the design-build process for Hangar 67. This is the third hanger project Contegra has partnered with WestStar in the past ten years,” said Jared Lengermann, Project Director, Contegra Construction.