West Star Aviation broke ground on Thursday for a 75,700-sq-ft expansion of its MRO facility in East Alton, Illinois. Once complete, the project will increase the facility’s area to more than 500,000 sq ft. The expansion will include 40,000 sq ft of new hangar capacity, 22,300 sq ft of additional back shop space, and add 13,400 sq ft of storage space.

West Star is working with Contegra Construction and the St. Louis Regional Airport on site preparation and building plans. The company expects to complete the project in the second quarter next year.

“This expansion along with the new hangar in Chattanooga, Tennessee, scheduled to open for business at the end of this month, shows our continued commitment to implementing sustainable growth that benefits our customers, employees, and the surrounding communities,” said West Star Aviation CEO Jim Rankin.

The site’s general manager, Brian Bauwens, noted that the recent growth of the maintenance business has driven a need for more support capacity.  “The recent rapid growth in the MRO industry has accelerated the need to add additional space to our facilities, allowing us to better serve our valued customers in a timely manner,” he explained.

Separately, Contegra Construction project director Jared Lengermann highlighted the close relationship his company has maintained with WestStar over the past decade.

“Contegra Construction is proud to partner with West Star Aviation to lead the design-build process for Hangar 67,” he said. “This is the third hanger project Contegra has partnered with West Star in the past ten years.”