Million Air, a Houston-based aviation company, broke ground on Monday on its fixed-base operation facilities at the Westchester County Airport.
The company will invest $70 million in new infrastructure at the airport, including a 20,000-square-foot terminal, expanded 50,000-square-foot hangar and ramp facility upgrades.
Construction on the hangar will take 10 months, according to Allison Woolsey, marketing assistant at Million Air, and the fixed base operation will be under construction for 14 months.
The project is expected to add about 170 jobs over the next two years.
In May, the county Board of Legislators unanimously approved a 30-year ground lease agreement that allows Million Air to operate both a light aviation facility and a full-service heavy aircraft fixed-base operation.
For the light aircraft portion, Million Air will pay the county a percentage of revenues that will increase every five years. Rent for the fixed-base operation will be $261,360 annually for a 6-acre area for the first 43 months and will then increase to $725,274 per year for a 9-acre area. The original lease, which was entered into in 1999, allowed Million Air to operate a light general aviation facility at the airport. Rent was roughly $60,000 per year.
