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The new facility at Lakeland Linder International Airport will be big enough for wide-body planes. |Courtesy of Arcade Aviation
3-minute read
There could be 250 to 300 new high-skill, high-wage workers at Lakeland Linder International Airport by late next year.
They’ll be aircraft mechanics, technicians and engineers.
Arcade Aviation LLC has signed a 40-year lease with the city for 16.4 acres at the northeast corner of the airport, abutting Drane Field Road. The contract includes a 10-year renewal option.
The New York-based company plans to build a nearly $100 million, three-hangar aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility, which should be open in 18 to 24 months, according to CEO Will Obeid.
The facility will have 137,000 square feet of hangar space and be capable of servicing large commercial aircraft such as Boeing B767s and Airbus A330s.
It will also have 15,000 square feet of office space.
The green shaded area shows 16.4 acres to be leased by Arcade Aviation. The fuschia section is where three large hangars will be. An inset at the bottom left shows the property’s location relative to the rest of the airport. | City of Lakeland
Long sought: The partnership is something Airport Director Kris Hallstrand has sought for many years, to expand the airport’s offerings and diversify its revenue stream. It figured prominently in the master plan for Lakeland Linder completed in 2020.
“Of all the things that we do here at the airport, this was a missing piece that we needed to pursue,” she said.
The project will also help address a national problem. The U.S. airline industry has been grappling with shortages of MRO facilities as well as aviation technicians with the skills to fill them.
Talent pipeline: Hallstrand said Lakeland has a robust talent pipeline. About 175 workforce-ready students graduate from local schools every year with the licenses and skills needed to inspect, repair and maintain aircraft.
Getting people off I-4: Most local graduates have to commute out of Lakeland to work in their fields, which pay an average of $80,000 to $85,000 a year.
“Part of the thesis is that these MRO operators can hire those folks,” Obeid said.
City Commissioners unanimously approved the lease at their May 19 meeting.
“It’s very exciting to get more people off I-4,” Commissioner Sara Roberts McCarley said. “Such a great opportunity for our young people, and for people who already work in the industry, to live local.”
Rent incentives: Arcade Aviation will pay the city $21,445 a month in rent — but not for the first two years.
In addition, Arcade can get a rent credit of up to $3.375 million for improvements it makes to airport-owned property, such as building a taxiway and relocating electrical equipment.
At the end of the lease, the MRO facility and any improvements left behind will become the property of the city.
Building MRO hangars is a fairly new venture for Arcade, but Obeid said the company is currently building two similar facilities, one in the Midwest and one elsewhere in Florida.
Insight Polk examines community conditions and solutions in six target areas from UCIndicators.org: economic & employment opportunity, education, housing, food security, transportation & infrastructure, and quality of life.
LkldNow’s Insight Polk independent reporting is made possible by the United Community Indicators Project with funding by GiveWell Community Foundation & United Way of Central Florida. All editorial decisions are made by LkldNow.
Cindy's reporting for LkldNow focuses on Lakeland city government. Previously, she was a crime reporter, City Hall reporter and chief political writer for newspapers including the Albuquerque Journal and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. She spent a year as a community engagement coordinator for the City of Lakeland before joining LkldNow in 2023. Reach her at cindy@lkldnow.com or 561-212-3429.
