ASU/Mesa Airlines Hangar opens for business


MESA , Ariz. – What started last year as a blank slate of open land on the north side of Williams Gateway Airport has now been transformed into the new Arizona State University/Mesa Airlines Hangar. A dedication with elected officials from surrounding municipalities, as well as airport, university and Arizona Department of Transportation representatives is planned for 9 a.m., Oct. 3, at the facility located on Sossaman Road.

The new facility, which is a joint project among ASU, Mesa Airlines, Williams Gateway Airport Authority and ADOT, will be used for conducting general aircraft maintenance, for sheltering many of the 17 aircraft and for preparing future pilots before they actually take a plane up.

The Department of Aeronautical Technology Management has been working on the development of a hangar since it moved to the Polytechnic campus in 1996.

“The reality of this facility is exciting to our administration, faculty, and students,” said Rick Charles, chair of the department. “We are now a part of airport operations, not just a user. Our students will have direct access to aircraft dispatch, and a chance to observe directly the maintenance activity on the airplanes they fly.”

The 21,000-square-foot facility sits on three acres of airport land. The construction of the facility, which was started in August 2006, was funded by ADOT with a $3 million loan through the Williams Gateway Airport Authority. Arizona State University will lease the facility from the airport.

“ASU’s presence at Williams Gateway Airport is an invaluable tool for recruiting new businesses to the airport,” said Lynn Kusy, executive director for WGAA. “This new facility will further increase awareness of the ASU aviation program and the cooperative opportunities that exist at Gateway.”

Elected officials from Florence, Gilbert, Gila River Indian Community and Mesa, as well as university administrators, and ADOT, Mesa Airlines and Williams Gateway Airport executives will be present for the dedication.