West Star plans Colorado expansion with larger interiors shop

West Star Aviation has announced plans to expand its facility at Grand Junction (GJT), Colorado in order to keep pace with growing customer demand. The plans centre around a new 40,000 sq. ft. hangar with an additional 35,000 sq. ft. of shop and office space, increasing the facility’s operational footprint to approximately 379,000 sq. ft. The shop space will include a larger aircraft interiors shop, a complete composite shop and a tool room. The new facility will be focused on the expansion of large aircraft capability and is slated to be complete in 2023.

West Star Aviation plans to add 84 additional technicians over the next 12 months and an additional 100 new jobs as the facility expansion nears completion. This expansion is being supported by a Job Growth Incentive Tax Credit and Strategic Fund Project from the Colorado Economic Development Commission (EDC). The Grand Junction Economic Partnership and Industrial Developments Inc. will provide a local match to jumpstart the construction of the project, enabling jobs to be created and filled at a faster pace.

“We are pleased to be able to implement a growth and expansion plan for our Grand Junction facility. The expansion will not only benefit our customers, with additional large aircraft capability, but also the community with additional job growth and career opportunities,” said Dave Krogman, general manager of the GJT site. “We are grateful for our community’s support during our expansion and thankful for our working relationship with the local community, which has always been a priority in Grand Junction.”

“West Star has been one of the fastest-growing business MROs for the past 20 years,” added Jim Rankin, CEO of West Star Aviation. “The expansion project will ensure West Star Aviation will be well-positioned to meet our customers’ needs for the next five years and beyond.”