Southwest Airlines announced during its recent annual meeting of shareholders in Denver, Colo., that it intends to begin construction on its first maintenance hangar at the Denver International Airport this summer. The company will spend nearly $100 million and says the new facility will allow Southwest’s mechanics to work on up to three aircraft inside the 130,000 square-foot hangar. There will be parking and facilities outside the hangar for eight additional aircraft. Ground breaking is expected to occur within the next few months and the hangar is anticipated to be completed in late 2020.
The facility can house the 75 technical operations employees currently working in Denver, who are responsible for maintaining Southwest’s all Boeing 737 fleet. Once opened, it will join the six other hangars located in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Orlando, and Phoenix. Overall, the carrier employs more than 4,000 people within its Technical Operations department. The carrier employs 4,200 People in Denver.