The Maintenance Repair and 's first hangar was completed, preparing the way for more than 300 jobs in Midwest City while renovations and expansions at the Oklahoma City and Tulsa airports helped create infrastructures that made lasting impressions on visitors. 2006 brought acquisitions, contracts and initial public offerings, building momentum in an industry that has become one of the state's largest economic engines. "I think in Oklahoma we're doing very, very well,” said , executive director of the .
"The industry is really enjoying some real dramatic growth.” The industry started the year with plans for growth. announced in January its plans to invest $100 million and operate three hangars at the Maintenance, Repair and near .
dedicated its first hangar at the MROTC in November. , executive director of the Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance, said 's ability to do a ribbon-cutting and dedication in one year is exceptional and an example of what aviation companies in the state are willing to do for the success of the industry. "Our aerospace companies are very healthy and ready to compete on a global basis,” Findeiss said.
One Oklahoma City company looked beyond the globe for its ventures, and a merger with another company increased its opportunities. , a developer of aerospace vehicles, merged with Washington's in March to form . In August, was awarded a $207 million contract from to do a demonstration flight at in 2009.
"It's been an extremely good year for us,” said , company vice president and chief of staff. "One could say we've gotten lucky, but it's taken a lot of strategic planning.” Years of strategic planning came to a head at with the November completion of its $110 million renovation project, which began in spring 2001.
The project nearly doubled the size of the terminal building, which included a new concourse, a redesigned baggage delivery system and security checkpoint. started nonstop service to Los Angeles this year, and the Oklahoma City airport opened a new parking lot, adding 1,000 new spots. Airport said is going to continue to build upon its success in 2007 by pursuing more development on the land surrounding the airport.
completed $12 million of airfield construction and rehabilitation work in October and later expanded its food court. Findeiss said and are no longer just the places where people land. "The airports will be part of the economic infrastructure of the state,” he said.
Tulsa kept busy all year with the help of . The Dallas-based company houses its largest maintenance base in the city. American's Tulsa Maintenance and Engineering Base developed plans to produce and install low-drag tailcones on the airline's MD-80 aircrafts, saving the company more than $200,000 per plane.
also sealed a four-year, $30 million contract with to service the Las Vegas carrier's aircraft. The work will be done at the Tulsa base. "Tulsa is really a shining example of how you can turn around an organization,” said , American's vice president of corporate communications and advertising.
said the Tulsa base went from a cost center to a profit center. Bird said the industry would not have been successful without some of the smaller aviation companies such as in Ada and Duncan's . Oil and gas always may be the first thing that comes to people's minds when they think about Oklahoma, but Bird said there is one important thing to remember about aviation in Oklahoma's history: "Its bloodline is just as long,” he said.
