Work to Start on Airport Hangar as Construction Contract Awarded

A North-east construction firm has been chosen to build a new hangar as part of a key expansion of Teesside International Airport. 

Barnard Castle-based S&A Fabrications will now begin work on a giant hangar on the north side of the airport after securing the contract following a full procurement process. 

The 30,000sq ft structure is the first of two new proposed facilities which will provide a development to attract further investment and return the airport to profit. 

Work will start on site in coming months and is expected to take around six to eight months to complete. 

The hangar will be 48.5 metres wide and 58.5 metres long and reach up to 15 metres at its highest point. When completed it will provide additional space for aircraft storage and maintenance. More than 230 tonnes of steel will be used in its construction. 

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “It fantastic to be delivering on this expansion of our airport which will not only provide work for a superb local company but also deliver on our aim of providing great new location for firms to grow.  

“New hangar space at Teesside Airport is critical to landing new investment that’ll bring our airport back to profit and create good-quality jobs for local people. We’ve got the cash from Government to get this done and are now delivering new opportunities for our great businesses.” 

The contract has already seen the County Durham firm take on additional staff, with an expected increase in workforce of around five to 10 staff members. Around 30-40 subcontractors will support the company in delivering the facility on site. 

It is the first aircraft hangar which S&A Fabrications will develop, building on its extensive experience delivering major structures for commercial and agricultural use.    

The huge 600sq m doors will be provided by a UK company and the hanger will be large enough to fit planes such as a Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A321neo.  

Managing Director of S&A Fabrications Simon Pelly said: “We are delighted to have won this contract and it is a really big deal for us. 

“It is not just another project for us and as a local company it means a huge amount to be delivering on this large-scale development.” 

The progress follows recent significant investments from the private sector at Teesside Airport, including a £25m investment from Willis Aviation to create a new engineering base, which will create over 200 jobs in the region.  

There has also been an expansion by defence contractor Draken and oil spill response firm 2Excel also now operate from Teesside Airport. 

Work continues to progress on a 2km link road to the £200m airport Southside business park connecting the development to the A67 while local firm GMI is also delivering the first 25,000sq ft unit of the park. The Southside Business Park will ultimately create 4,400 jobs when fully operational.