Case Studies and Testimonials
PSA Airlines
PSA Airlines’ headquarters was originally established in Dayton in 1985 while it was under the ownership of Piedmont Airlines.
Dayton remains headquarters to PSA Airlines, now a wholly owned subsidiary of US Airways, that merged with American Airlines in 2013. The airline operates an all-jet fleet and is considered the fastest- growing regional carrier under the American Eagle brand with nearly 3,000 employees operating nearly 700 daily flights to nearly 90 destinations.
Since 2014, PSA has doubled its size and, by 2016, operated 150 Bombardier CRJ 900 aircraft.
As a result of this growth, PSA has expanded its Dayton-based facilities, including a new maintenance hangar that opened in October of 2016. The new, 77,000 square foot hangar is adjacent to PSA’s existing 40,000 square foot operations control center and 6,500 professional learning center located at the Dayton International Airport and is the airline’s largest aircraft maintenance support facility.
Dion Flannery, PSA President, stated that the new hanger is...“a testament to our growth, it’s an important infrastructure for us that’s going to last the rest of our days here.”
How the City of Dayton (City) and its local partner, Montgomery County Economic Development Services (MCDS) helped PSA Airlines achieve speed-to-market, lower costs, and reduce risk:
SPEED TO MARKET:
In 2014, when PSA was planning to receive 30 new Bombardier CRJ 900 aircraft, the airline needed maintenance facilities for the new aircraft. The City of Dayton presented a schedule that met PSA’s and its parent company’s schedule through a 20-year lease customized to PSA’s needs. The City handled all permits and construction approvals and the commissioning of all Life safety system to fast-track completion of the hangar. The City also provided a temporary hangar facility while the new 77,000 SF hangar was being completed, providing a seamless, turnkey solution to PSA.
LOWER COSTS:
As part of the City’s retention and business-nurturing approach, the planned hangar met PSA’s expense requirements, with costs managed through a 20-year lease customized to PSA’s budget. As part of the 20-year lease, the City granted PSA minimal reporting requirements along with security for all collateral agreements. Importantly, the City and Montgomery County’s nationally recognized Economic Development/Government Equity fund program (ED/GE) bundled a combination of loans, grants, and issuance of bonds to provide a seamless financing solution to the airline.
REDUCED RISK:
While the City and Montgomery County addressed much of the risk for PSA during construction by providing a turnkey financial and operating solution to the airline, Montgomery County, the City of Dayton, and the surrounding region are home to a workforce that is diverse in terms of training and responsibilities. Yet, members of this highly specialized regional workforce have in common training, skills, and experience in managing and performing aircraft maintenance and repair. The list of assets starts with near-by Wright Patterson Air Force base and its military and civilian workforces supporting the 88th Air Base Wing, 445th Airlift Wing, Air Force Global Logistics Support Center, other local Air Force assets. In addition, the region boasts career technology centers for aviation maintenance certificates and degrees, United Technologies (UTC) Aerospace Systems facility, and Yaskawa Motoman integrated automation solutions for industrial robotics/systems. More detail of the skilled workforce available for your company’s MRO can be found at: GOMCOHIO.com/MRO