Blue Line Aviation, the fastest-growing Accelerated Aviation Training entity in the country, is nearing completion on its new headquarters building, professional pilot training center, maintenance facility, and restaurant at the JNX Airport. Since construction began, Blue Line’s growth has exceeded expectations, and the flight school has already outgrown the space currently under construction. Blue Line is eager to start operations in the new facility beginning in November of this year.
Monday night, September 20, 2021, Blue Line Aviation CEO Trey Walters and President Rich Laviano presented a proposal to the JNX Airport Authority to begin work on additional offices, maintenance facilities, student dormitory facilities, and vehicle parking valued at over $20M. Airlines are offering hiring and retention bonuses higher than ever before, and Blue Line seeks to change lives by providing the necessary training. These additional facilities are essential to support Blue Line’s flight training and maintenance operations - training students from around the country to fill the hundreds of thousands of open pilot jobs.
The proposal includes proposed ground lease payments up to 5x the current ground lease rates for the same space, which on its own would nearly cover the existing cash shortfall the JNX Airport has been experiencing.
At the meeting, the Authority approved the concept of modular office facilities but did not yet accept the entire proposal. Mr. Walters says, “We are optimistic that the Authority will define and complete an efficient path forward for these projects. Blue Line stands ready to continue to invest at the Johnston Regional Airport and looks forward to doing so.”
The new proposed $20M investment is on top of the current $16M investment the company is in the process of completing. The current project is the largest private investment in the airport’s history.
Mr. Walters continues, “We trust that the legislature will quickly pass appropriation legislation to fund the vital expansion of the air transportation infrastructure in Johnston County. There is a lot of work to be done to return the airport to full operational capability and to increase its capacity.”
Blue Line Aviation previously announced an aircraft order of over 100 aircraft over a 5 year period, has already begun exercising options for additional aircraft, and will start taking deliveries of these aircraft in the 4th quarter. The additional investment presented to the Authority would not only have closed its financial gap, but the investment would bring many more good-paying jobs to the region.
Blue Line Aviation, established in 2012, is one of only a few flight schools in the world to provide quality flight training programs at an accelerated pace. In as few as five and a half months, students can go from no experience to fully confident and certified pilots, fully prepared for a career in aviation. Schedule a tour of our new state-of-the-art facility (located at 3149B Swift Creek Road, Smithfield, North Carolina) and let your new career take flight. For more inquiries and additional information, please visit our website, find us on social media, or contact Ashley Tucker, our Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at (919) 578-3713 ext. 305.
