
Western, a US-based commercial real estate development and design-build firm specialising in the aviation industry, has announced plans to develop a new Corporate Aviation Campus on 48 acres at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) in North Carolina.
The Airport Authority Board approved the development agreement between Western and RDU during a meeting in February 2019.
According to Western CEO Brad Henderson, the firm has partnered with several aviation facilities in the past and is keen on working with executives at the airport and the Research Triangle region.
The tentative plans involve the construction of approximately 21 hangars ranging in size from 12,100ft² to more than 30,000ft² with the option for attached offices on several units.
The 48-acre site is adjacent to the SAS Institute hangar at the northeast portion of the airport.
Henderson said: “The campus has already received interest from potential corporate clients and we feel this could make a big economic impact in the area.”
Western intends to develop, design, construct and lease-back the hangars to potential clients. The company will also be responsible for the maintenance of the facilities.
Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority president and CEO Michael Landguth said: “RDU is excited to engage Western LLC in its first public-private partnership to build a new, state-of-the-art corporate aviation campus.
“The new campus will support local customers with existing general aviation needs and also help recruit corporate jetsetters whose companies may be considering entry into the Triangle.”
Western, a national commercial real estate development and design-build firm, develops large aircraft hangars, terminals, office buildings, fuel farms, MROs, FBOs, FSE Facilities as well as all associated site improvements.
The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority operates Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
With 66 non-stop destinations and 11 airlines, RDU has catered to 12.8 million passengers in 2018.
RDU’s annual economic impacts amount to $12.6bn, powering the region’s economy and supporting 5,000 on campus and more than 86,000 regional jobs.
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Image: The new Corporate Aviation Campus. Photo: Courtesy of Western LLC.