American Airlines Announces Record Investment in Maintenance Facility
Tulsa team members Feb. 28 at the special event to announce the investment.
Photo courtesy American Airlines
American Airlines is investing $550 million at its Base Maintenance facility in Tulsa, Okla. in a move that represents the largest maintenance facility investment in American history.
The facility, called Tech Ops – Tulsa, is home to more than 5,500 team members that conduct nearly half of the airline’s maintenance work on its 1,000 airline fleet.
The project is expected to take approximately seven years to complete and will involve upgrades to nearly every building at Tech Ops – Tulsa. The new project includes construction of a 193,000-sq-ft hangar, capable of holding two widebody aircraft, that will replace two existing hangars that can no longer fully accommodate American’s current aircraft. A 132,000-sq-ft base support building, roof replacements, utility and IT upgrades and ramp repairs are included in the project scope.
“Tulsa has been core to American’s operation for more than 70 years, and this investment in the base, along with the [600] new positions we added at Tech Ops – Tulsa in 2019, will ensure our customers can continue to rely on our fleet as the safest and most reliable for decades to come,” said American’s Chairman and CEO Doug Parker in a statement.
The company’s leaders, local and state politicians and nearly 2,000 employees were present for the project announcement Feb. 28.
The new hangar and base support building construction is expected to begin in early 2021 and will take approximately 18 months to complete, according to American. The company has not yet started the process to select contractors.
American has maintained Tech Ops – Tulsa since 1946, and it is the world’s largest commercial aviation maintenance facility. The facility is currently comprised of 22 buildings, including 3.3 million sq ft of hangar and shop space, on 330 acres at Tulsa International Airport.
