Dive Brief:
- Aircraft maker Electra will spend $850 million to build its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Springfield, Ohio, the company and state officials announced Tuesday at the Farnborough International Airshow in England.
- The 96-acre facility will create 1,975 jobs and produce the startup’s nine-passenger, hybrid-electric EL9 Ultra Short plane model, according to the press release.
- Design work is expected to begin immediately with construction set to start in 2027. The facility will have an initial capacity to build up to 400 aircraft a year. An opening date was not disclosed.
Dive Insight:
Electra site-selection for its manufacturing plant took about a year, the company stated in the release.
Criteria included infrastructure readiness, long-term expansion capacity and proximity to required workforce skills in aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing to support the EL9 Ultra Short production.
The facility will be located at industrial development Airpark Ohio, which is adjacent to Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport and close to Dayton International Airport. The site is also near U.S. Route 68 and Interstate 70…