Greater Spokane Inc. Awarded State Grant to Support Aero-Flite Hangar Construction

Greater Spokane Inc. has been awarded a $450,000 grant by the Department of Commerce to retain Aero-Flite Inc. in Spokane by supporting the expansion and construction of a new aircraft hangar and facility to accommodate the company’s growth.

“We’ve made eastern Washington our home and are excited to make Spokane the hub of our future expansion. We are thankful for our partnerships with Spokane International Airport, Greater Spokane Incorporated, the City of Spokane, and the State of Washington. We believe that our growth will benefit the local economy while allowing us to continue providing critical aerial firefighting capabilities to the state,” shared Chris Niemann, General Manager at Aero-Flite.

The company is celebrating 60 years of experience in aerial forest fire fighting and they are getting busier year after year as wildfire seasons start sooner and end later across North America. Aero-Flite needed to expand its hangar space in order to increase its fleet size, building a new facility to accommodate up to 20 large air tankers. In addition to aircraft maintenance, the new facility will provide much-needed room for expanded manufacturing, repair, and overhaul, in addition to pilot training. The new 100,000 sq. ft facility is expected to cost $35 million. The $450,000 grant from the state’s Economic Development Strategic Reserve Fund will help with pre-construction costs at the site.