American Airlines announced:
For eight decades, the American Airlines base maintenance facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Tech Ops – Tulsa), has stood at the center of the airline’s technical operations, evolving into the world’s largest commercial aircraft maintenance base and a cornerstone of the airline’s commitment to safety and reliability.
Aerial photo of the surplus military aircraft plant in early 1946.
Tech Ops – Tulsa team members working in the propeller shop in 1947.
It all started in 1945 when the U.S. government listed a military aircraft plant as surplus property. The property, with four large hangars anchoring more than 260 acres, caught the eye of American’s leaders who soon negotiated a lease with the City of Tulsa and began relocating its maintenance and engineering operations from New York’s La Guardia airport to the new Tulsa facility. The move reflected American’s growth and Tulsa’s emergence as a major aviation and aerospace hub, bolstered by a skilled local workforce, which still holds true today…