Voyager Jet Center (VJC), a leading private aircraft management and services company, has completed the first phase of a $19.6 million expansion project at its
Allegheny County Airport headquarters in
West Mifflin.
The first phase included constructing a new ramp, parking lot, access roadway, and temporary fixed base operation (FBO) building. Plans call for adding a 20,000 square-foot hangar, a 30,000 square-foot office building, and storage and maintenance facilities. Designs for a permanent FBO facility are being finalized. The project is expected to create 50 new jobs, including ground support, customer service and maintenance personnel.
“We’ve seen substantial growth and a notable increase in the amount of planes coming in since completing the ramp. Our fueling has dramatically increased since this time last year. We call Allegheny County Airport the private aviation hub of Western Pennsylvania” says Dan Stainer with JVC. “Most people don’t realize that we’re seven miles from Downtown, and our runway can sustain the largest private jets. That’s why the U.S. Open players flew into Allegheny. It’s an extremely viable option.”
Stainer says that lower overhead helps to keep fueling costs reasonable for aircraft like the BBJ and Gulf Stream 5, the industry’s largest private jets. A tenant of Allegheny County Airport since 1999, VJC also operates facilities in Florida and Montana.
The project received $250,000 from
Allegheny County. “For decades this was a sleepy little airport. We’re turning that around and driving a lot of money that’s leveraging private funding. It’s a real diamond in the rough,” says Kevin Evanto with Allegheny County. “There’s been talk of maybe creating a conference center.”
Writer:
Jennifer BaronSources: Dan Stainer, Voyager Jet Center; Kevin Evanto, Allegheny County
Image courtesy of Allegheny County