A ground-breaking ceremony held yesterday under blue skies at New York’s Westchester County Airport signaled the start of construction of Million Air's new $70 million FBO complex at the metro New York City airfield. The first phase of the 23-acre project consists of a 54,000-sq-ft hangar with heated floor, expected to be completed by mid-2017. According to the company, the structure, which will be able to accommodate ultra-long-range or smaller business jets, is already more than half pre-sold.

Before year-end, Million Air expects to begin building a new 20,000-sq-ft terminal to LEED specifications, with an enclosed climate-controlled four-lane porte cochere. Designed in the Adirondack style, the building will feature stone, timber and fireplaces, and among its amenities will be a full-time coffee barista.

In May, the Houston-based FBO network received unanimous approval for the plan from the county’s Board of Legislators, including a new 30-year lease. “There has not been any new construction at the nation’s second-busiest corporate airport in more than 20 years,” company CEO Roger Woolsey told AIN. “The new Million Air expansion is designed to truly be one of the first six-star FBOs in the country.”