Plans for Southwest Airlines’ first maintenance facility in the Northeast are moving forward at BWI/Marshall Airport.
The Maryland Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved a construction contract for the $135 million facility, as well as a lease agreement with Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV). Construction on the building could begin as early as October, state transportation officials said.
The maintenance facility will support the airline’s burgeoning East Coast hub. About 240 Southwest planes passed through BWI each day pre-pandemic, and Southwest flights account for about 70% of the airport’s passenger traffic.
The 27-acre maintenance site will incorporate a hangar with room for as many as three Boeing 737 planes, as well as apron space for another eight jets. The facility will also have office and workshop space, and will offer shelter from the elements for the airline’s mechanics as they perform routine and necessary maintenance, as well as storage space for the tools needed for that technical work.
