GAINING ALTITUDE: New hangar coming to airport expected to be business boost

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This rendering depicts the new 22,500-square-foot hangar coming to Indianapolis Regional Airport.

Submitted image

HANCOCK COUNTY — A new hangar coming to Indianapolis Regional Airport will take the facility and the surrounding business community to new heights, according to aviation and government officials.

The 22,500-square-foot heated building will serve private and general aviation needs and be able to accommodate large business jets. It will join the airport’s 13,200-square-foot hangar and two large corporate hangars

Jet Access is bringing the development to the airport, where the company serves as fixed-base operator.

“There is a significant shortage of hangar space in Indianapolis, and we are uniquely positioned to invest in our operations at Indianapolis Regional Airport,” Jet Access CEO Quinn Ricker said in a news release. “The new hangar will impact a significant sector of the business community — those who are currently doing business in Indianapolis, along with those who are looking to expand in, or relocate business to Indianapolis. The investments we are making at all of our Indiana locations are a steppingstone for economic growth for the region.”

Mario Rodriguez, executive director of the Indianapolis Airport Authority, expressed his excitement for the new hangar at a ground-breaking ceremony earlier this month.

“This facility is going to be world-class, and it’s going to compete at a world level here in Indiana,” Rodriguez said. “We don’t realize it because we don’t need to think about it deeply, but it’s going to compete against facilities in Qatar, facilities in Palm Beach, and it’s going to be at that level and it’s going to bring our game up to that level.”

U.S. Rep. Greg Pence, R-Indiana, said at the event that the development is another sign of Hancock County’s growth.

“I know this facility will make central Indiana a national private aviation hub,” Pence said. “If you travel around Hancock County as much as I do, you probably share my astonishment at the rapid growth, all these warehouse distribution centers that we’re experiencing here. The new facilities pop up seemingly overnight and with it come new opportunities for Hoosiers.”

U.S. Rep. Greg Pence, R-Indiana, speaks during a March 4 ground-breaking ceremony for a new hangar coming to Indianapolis Regional Airport.  Mitchell Kirk | Daily Reporter

Pence also mentioned the talks that have been underway about a new Interstate 70 interchange at County Road 200W.

“This new hangar is yet another way to attract even greater investment and build on the successes we have seen in recent years,” he said.

Indianapolis-based Keystone Construction Corporation will build the hangar. Ersal Ozdemir, CEO of the company, said construction will start this month and is slated to complete in September.

Jet Access operates 10 fixed-base operations in four states, including six locations in Indiana: Indianapolis Regional Airport; Eagle Creek Airport in Indianapolis, Indianapolis Executive Airport in Zionsville, Frankfort/Clinton County Regional Airport in Frankfort, Columbus Municipal Airport in Columbus and Shelbyville Municipal Airport in Shelbyville. The company employs more than 380, most of whom are based in central Indiana.