$130M Southwest Airlines Hangar Means More Growth At BWI

HANOVER, MD – Southwest Airlines will build a $130 million maintenance hangar at BWI Airport, its first in the Northeast, officials said Thursday. The project is expected to create 450 constructions and maintenance jobs over the next three years, supporting hundreds of additional maintenance jobs over the next two decades. The airline is the busiest at BWI, accounting for 69 percent of the airport’s passenger traffic, and Baltimore is a major hub for Southwest.

Gov. Larry Hogan and Gary Kelly, chairman of the board and CEO for Southwest Airlines, announced the planned hangar. The announcement affirms Southwest’s continued commitment to Maryland, a news release from the governor's office said.

“We are proud to strongly support BWI and Southwest, and will continue to encourage the growth and success of this important partnership as we work hard to create the very best airport, highway system, Port, transit, and transportation infrastructure network in the nation," Hogan said.

The maintenance facility would include a 130,000 square-foot maintenance hangar, aircraft parking apron, and office space. The facility could accommodate three aircraft, and the exterior apron space could support up to eight aircraft. If approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, construction could begin in 2019, with a scheduled completion in late 2021. Of the $130 million cost, Southwest Airlines will pay $80 million and $50 million will come from the MDOT Maryland Aviation Administration to build infrastructure improvements such as utility work and site preparation.

“We continue to appreciate the great relationship with the state of Maryland and the Maryland Aviation Administration, and we thank them for the support over the past 25 years,” said Kelly.

The facility will support more than 120 employees in maintenance work at BWI.

Southwest Airlines started service at BWI Marshall 25 years ago this week. For calendar year 2017, nearly 18.2 million domestic and international passengers at BWI Marshall flew Southwest; the airport is the carrier’s second-busiest overall. According to the airline, there are 4,837 Southwest employees at BWI Marshall Airport.

“As BWI Marshall Airport flies high with record passenger traffic and growing cargo shipments, we remain committed to providing customers and airline partners with outstanding service,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete K. Rahn.

BWI Marshall remains the busiest airport in the Baltimore-Washington region. The airport has set three-straight annual passenger records. Through June 2018, BWI Marshall has set new monthly passenger records in 35 of the past 36 months. The airport produces a total economic impact of $9.3 billion. BWI Marshall and visitors generate and support more than 106,000 jobs throughout the region.

PHOTO: Southwest Airlines planes sit at their gates at Baltimore-Washington International Airport as flights are delayed due to technical issues at a Federal Aviation Administration center August 15, 2015 in Baltimore. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)