Garmin said Tuesday that it has acquired a hangar and office complex at Mesa Gateway Airport (KIWA) in Arizona to support its aircraft certification and flight test operations.
The facility consists of two adjacent hangars totaling about 75,000 square feet and includes office space for approximately 75 employees. The airport’s three parallel runways, including two longer than 10,000 feet, and year-round weather conditions will support flight operations.
“We are excited to add another aviation facility to our business,” Phil Straub, Garmin’s executive vice president and managing director of aviation, said in a statement. “The capabilities this location will provide are instrumental in extending aircraft airworthiness approvals and market coverage for our product lines. This expansion represents Garmin’s continued investment in infrastructure that supports growth and innovation in our aviation business segment.”
The Mesa site will join Garmin’s existing flight operations centers in New Century, Kansas, and Salem, Oregon.
The Phoenix-area region has housed Garmin engineering operations for more than two decades, including facilities in Tempe, Chandler, and Scottsdale. The company said the additional location will support hiring for engineering, airworthiness approval, and flight test roles and expand its aviation operations footprint in the area.
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on AVweb.
