ATS to lease second port building
A plane sits outside the Aviation Technical Services hangar at the Grant County International Airport. The company plans to lease a second hangar from the Port of Moses Lake, port officials said recently.
MOSES LAKE - Aviation Technical Services is expected to move into an additional hangar at the Grant County International Airport soon, according to Port of Moses Lake officials.
The port is currently in the final stages of drafting a lease agreement with the aircraft maintenance and repair company for their second hangar, Port Executive Director Patrick Jones said Monday. They expect to have a finalized agreement by the end of this month, he said.
The lease agreement is for a 38,000 square-foot hangar in close proximity to the hangar ATS is currently in, Jones said.
According to a previous Columbia Basin Herald article, ATS is occupying a 102,000 square-foot hangar at the airport. The company committed to leasing that hangar for five years, with options to renew.
Jones said the terms for the second hangar will be announced once lease documents are finalized.
Jones told port commissioners during a meeting Monday that ATS is anticipating more activity over the next several months. The company is currently demolishing 747's at the airport, he said.
"We're told to expect more A320's for demolition in the near future," said Jones. "They're continuing to move planes through."
ATS announced they would be helping New York-based JetBlue Airways modify their A320 fleet back in September, according to a previous company statement. ATS signed a long-term service agreement with JetBlue, which included provisions for ATS to provide maintenance and modification services to JetBlue over a three-year period.
Everett-based ATS expanded to Moses Lake earlier this year. They have been providing maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for commercial and military jet aircraft since 1970.