By Chase Hagl
Gulfstream Announces Development of Sustainable Aircraft Service Facility at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation announced on Tuesday that they will begin construction on a new aircraft service center at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. The new facility will cover a 225,000-square-foot area, with a price tag of $70 million — similar to the list price of the company’s new G700 aircraft. The facility will sit in the northeast corner of the airport, near the beginning of runway 30R.
Scheduled to open for operation in 2023, the American aircraft manufacturing company’s new service facility will create more than 200 jobs in the area and will expand the company’s maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities.
“We are thrilled Gulfstream has chosen Mesa for their sustainable Customer Support facility,” stated Arizona Governor Doug Ducey in a press release. “By opening this facility, Gulfstream is coming to a state with a long and storied history with aviation. Gulfstream’s expansion further cements Arizona as a national aerospace and defense leader, bringing hundreds of skilled jobs to Mesa. My thanks go out to President Mark Burns and the entire team at Gulfstream for choosing Arizona and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.”
The service center will better help Gulfstream accommodate its large customer base consisting of 3,000 active aircraft in service worldwide. The facility will join Gulfstream’s list of recent expansions in Savannah, Georgia; Van Nuys, California; Fort Worth, Texas; Palm Beach, Florida; Appleton, Wisconsin; and Farnborough, England.
“In the past decade, as our fleet has grown, we have invested to create a network of modern facilities to provide our customers with outstanding service and support when and where they need it,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “How Gulfstream serves our customers is just as important to us as how our aircraft perform. The addition of our new service center in Mesa gives us an additional facility in the Western U.S. and represents our commitment to ensuring that our customers not only purchase the best in the world, they also receive the best service in the world.”
Not only will the facility accommodate the aircraft being worked on in its hangar space, it will include back shops as well as employee and customer offices.
Gulfstream has sustainability in mind with the development of this project. The company anticipates that they will achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification, verifying that it was designed and built using strategies aimed at sustainability, water saving, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality — in effect, it becomes a Green Building.
The facility will include a fuel farm with allocated sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply; low-flow plumbing fixtures; LED lighting; building management systems; and an energy-efficient HVAC system. Some less significant, yet relevant items that will be incorporated are a white roof to reflect heat, sensor-controlled lighting, native plants and landscaping requiring a low water demand.
Gulfstream’s sustainable effort will help contribute towards the industry’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. As well, the company will be able to better accommodate and provide customer service to its customer base wherever they need with its continuously expanding network of modern facilities.
Chase Hagl grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho. His love and passion for Aviation landed him in Orem, Utah where he’s finishing up a B.S. in Aviation Management with a minor in Business Management from Utah Valley University. Following graduation, Chase has plans to obtain his MBA from UVU while employed. His experience in the aviation industry spans back four years, working in areas including agriculture application, customer service, maintenance, and flight ops. In his free time, Chase enjoys road biking, astronomy, and flying.