Building a new hangar in Panama City, Florida

$32.5M “Project Maple” at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport to Spark Economic Growth, Diversification

QUEBEC, CANADA, September 14, 2023 – Premier Aviation, an international aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company will soon break ground at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP), bringing more than $32.5 million of capital investment and creating 250 high-wage jobs in the next four years.

Premier Aviation USA Overhaul Services (Premier Aviation), which is headquartered in Quebec City, Canada will open its second location in Bay County, Florida. The project, dubbed “Project Maple” in a nod to the company’s Canadian roots, is the result of two years of efforts by ECP and Bay Economic Development Alliance to expand the region’s aviation sector.

Premier Aviation plans for the Bay County operation to become “the center of excellence” on Embraer and ATR products.

Construction has not yet begun on the two-bay, narrow body hangar but is expected to ramp up quickly, with completion by summer 2025. This major investment from an aviation MRO is a step toward the establishment of the Aviation Center of Excellence at ECP, with a goal to provide a ready pipeline of workforce for future maintenance, repair and operations services.

About Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) is located less than 30 minutes from Panama City Beach, Panama City, and the beaches of South Walton. Today, with service from American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines, ECP’s airline partners provide daily flights to worldwide destinations, including year-round and seasonal nonstop flights between ECP and Atlanta (ATL), Austin (AUS) Baltimore (BWI), Char-lotte (CLT), Chicago (MDW/ORD), Dallas (DAL/DFW), Denver (DEN), Hous-ton (HOU/IAH), Indianapolis (IND), Kansas City (MCI), Nashville (BNA), St. Louis (STL), Washington DC (DCA), and more. ECP provides Northwest Flori-da with first-class facilities and was strategically developed for major econom-ic development opportunities. ECP is the gateway to visitors seeking North-west Florida’s famous beaches.

About Bay Economic Development Alliance

The Bay County Economic Development Alliance (BayEDA) is Bay County’s economic development entity. Publicly and privately funded, BayEDA serves Bay County in the mission of supporting the existing businesses in Bay County and in the recruitment of new business to Bay County. BayEDA supports the existing pillars of the economy and is dedicated to growing and diversifying the Bay County economy.

About Premier Aviation

Premier Aviation is a leading full-service provider of airframe maintenance with all back shops under one roof. Headquartered in Canada at the Quebec City International Airport (YQB), Premier Aviation is Transport Canada, FAA, EASA and ANAC certified/approved. Premier Aviation provides world-class cost effectiveness and value-added MRO services to aircraft operators and lessors by maintaining all regional aircraft types, such as, but not limited to: ATR, DeHavilland, Embraer and MHI RJ (Mitsubishi).