Aero-Flite Inc. is expanding operations at Spokane International Airport, where the company is planning a 30,000-square-foot maintenance hangar to handle its growing fleet, says general manager Chris Niemann.

The Spokane Journal reported that the company has filed a pre-development conference application with the city of Spokane to review plans for the structure, valued at over $8 million. The company bases its operations in 33,000 square feet of hangar space, which includes a 6,000-square-foot attached tent; Niemann says the new hangar will be built next to the existing facility and it will improve winter maintenance capacity.

He says the fleet will grow from 12 to 14 aircraft. The  company added one plane in 2023 and will add two more next year. The FAA issued a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) on the Dash 8-400AT airtanker last spring; Aero-Flite has pursued the U.S. certification of the airtanker version of the Dash-8 airliner.

Also operating AVRO RJ-85 and Canadair CL-415 airtankers, Aero-Flite plans to expand their fleet; with the new STC, Aero-Flite will add two Dash 8-400ATs and the FAA approval will allow U.S.-registered Dash 8-400ATs to fly aerial firefighting missions across all states.

The Aero-Flite airtankers will operate under a long-term, multiyear contract with the State of Washington.

The maintenance hangar will be a pre-engineered metal building with insulated panels for siding. Spokane-based Garco Construction will be the contractor. Since Niemann joined the company in May 2021, Aero-Flite has added 40 employees, bringing the  workforce to about 180 people. That includes 125 Spokane-area employees.

For four years running, Aero-Flite’s been named by the Spokane Journal of Business as one of the best places to work in the Inland Northwest.

AirMed&Rescue reported back in the spring that Aero-Flite is a business with 60 years of experience in the aerial firefighting sector. It employs over 170 aviation experts, including 51 pilots and 74 mechanics, and operates a mixed fleet of fixed-wing aircraft, including seven Avro RJ85 airtankers and four De Havilland CL-415 waterbombers; the Dash 8-400AT is one of the world’s most modern airtankers.

 ~ Thanks and a tip of the hardhat to RJ