Gulfstream Aerospace announced the finalisation of its expanded aircraft completions operations at St Louis Downtown Airport in Illinois during a ceremony to inaugurate the new space. Originally announced in 2023, this facility expansion provides the necessary resources to support full aircraft interior outfitting at Gulfstream’s St Louis facility.
“This St Louis facility expansion is a continuation of our company-wide growth strategy to support the production of Gulfstream’s industry-leading fleet,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “It positions our team to further support completions of our next-generation aircraft for customers all over the world as demand for these aircraft continues to grow.”
This expansion represents an investment of more than US$30m and adds to Gulfstream’s St Louis MRO facility that opened in 2017 to provide dedicated hangar space and service to support the entire Gulfstream fleet. Today, Gulfstream employs more than 675 team members on-site in St Louis and encompasses a total facility footprint of 645,013ft² (59,993m²).
In support of this growth, Gulfstream also added 200 new jobs. While many of these new positions have been filled, Gulfstream is still actively recruiting and hiring in St Louis for numerous roles in avionics, interior installations, cabinet fabrication and cabinet finishing.
“The St Louis area is a booming aviation hub filled with skilled and capable talent, and that has played a role in our continued investment in the region,” added Burns.
To help engage and develop its workforce at the St Louis facility, Gulfstream is partnering with many local educational institutions. One of these initiatives is Gulfstream’s high school assistant programme with Cahokia Heights and The Center for Academic and Vocational Excellence (CAVE) in Belleville. Students can enrol in this programme and receive on-the-job experience while in school and then be placed in full-time positions at Gulfstream upon graduation.
Other recent Gulfstream facility investments include all-new service centres in Mesa, Arizona, and Fort Worth, Texas; a paint hangar in Appleton, Wisconsin; and the recently expanded Savannah service centre.
