(The Center Square) — SkyWest’s newest maintenance, repair and operation location is coming to Shreveport Regional Airport producing roughly 525 new jobs for the parish of Caddo.
“The Shreveport Regional Airport is a terrific economic engine for northwest Louisiana,” said Mayor Tom Arceneaux in a news release. “This project exemplifies the excellent work of the Airport Director, the Shreveport Airport Authority, NLEP and LED, as well as the city administration, to take full advantage of the resources of the airport for economic development and job creation.”
The location will have both direct jobs and indirect jobs. The 150 direct jobs have an average annual salary of around $70,000. Data shows this is about 27% above the average wage in the parish. Louisiana Economic Development predicts the facility will also bring 375 indirect jobs to Caddo.
Back in April, employment in the state was reportedly on the rise for the 47th consecutive month with the number of jobs in Shreveport increasing by 200 since the start of the year. From February of last year to April of this year, Shreveport gained 2,300 jobs.
The airline is projecting the hangar to be operable by the fall of this year. It is SkyWest’s 13th maintenance base.
A press release shared that Louisiana Economic Development offered SkyWest a competitive incentives package in order to win the project for Caddo. The package included a $750,000 performance-based grant using matching funds from LED, Caddo Parish and the Caddo Parish Industrial Development Board, among other incentives.
SkyWest’s Vice President of Maintenance Joe Sigg expressed his excitement for the upcoming base and looks forward to growing a team in the area in a news release.
“Skywest’s decision to locate a maintenance facility here represents the whole of government approach we have been taking during my administration, rally state and local stakeholders to put local economies first,” said Gov. Jeff Landry in a news release. “I want to thank SkyWest for recognizing the skilled workforce we have built in Louisiana, and I want to thank all of the entities that came together to make this project possible.”
