Up to 430 new jobs to come to Wilmington Air Park
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
WILMINGTON — The state will provide a total of $5.2 million in assistance to a new aircraft maintenance company that plans to hire up to 430 people within three years at Wilmington Air Park, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher said Tuesday, March 10.
The state support includes a 10-year, $3.8 million tax credit, training grants and a low-interest loan to complement a $5.9 million investment by Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services Inc., Fisher announced at a meeting of a task force planning the region's economic redevelopment.
Air Transport Services Group Inc., of Wilmington, formed the maintenance subsidiary in response to the loss of thousands of jobs at the DHL-owned airport caused by DHL's ongoing restructuring cutbacks there, Fisher said.
The company plans to start operation May 1. ATSG's subsidiary ABX Air, the cargo airline that runs the airport for DHL, will lease a hangar, warehouse and office space at the Wilmington airport and buy machinery and equipment.
It is the first positive development for the Wilmington economy since DHL's announcements in 2008 of plans to slash jobs and delivery service started a devastating series of job losses at Wilmington Air Park, the region's largest employer.
The aircraft maintenance work will fit nicely into the airport's mission and offers the possibility of becoming a growth industry, said Wilmington Mayor David Raizk, who co-chairs the economic development task force with Fisher.
The company will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services for aircraft including Boeing 767s, 757s and 727s, DC-9s and MD-80s, said Brady Templeton, general manager of Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services.
Company officials said they expect to hire current ABX Air employees and workers who have lost their jobs to staff the new operation. The company could reach the 430-person hiring goal as soon as mid-2010, Templeton said Tuesday.
Airborne Maintenance has started hiring some management staff and expects within two weeks to post jobs for aircraft maintenance technicians, Templeton said. The company has received at least 100 applications for approximately 10 jobs posted so far, he said.
Job applications should go through the company's Web site at www.airbornemx.com, he said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDailyNews.com.
