The skies around McKinney National Airport could soon become busier as one of the airport’s tenants plans to spend millions to expand its operations.
Cirrus Aircraft, a Duluth, Minn.-based aircraft manufacturer, is growing its presence in North Texas with a 47,771-square-foot expansion of its facility at McKinney National Airport and the addition of an innovation center to support product development and engineering teams.
The company is developing plans for an expanded factory service center at the airport and expects to break ground early next year, with completion anticipated in early 2023. The facility will offer flight training programs and concierge-style aircraft management in addition to maintenance services.
The estimated cost of the project is $9 million, according to planning documents filed with the state.
McKinney is also home to the company’s new innovation center, which opened in early November and supports its product development teams. The center is located at the Common Desk co-working space at 300 East Davis St, in downtown McKinney, home to several other tech firms based in the city.
Founded in 1984, Cirrus manufactures small, single-engine aircraft, including the SR Series and the Vision Jet. The Vision Jet, first launched in 2016, can seat between five and seven people and has a cruising speed of approximately 350 miles per hour.
The company’s McKinney airport facility has 28 employees, while the innovation center is home to 14 others. Cirrus hopes to hire additional employees with the expansion and the company’s career site currently has 47 open positions listed based in either Dallas or McKinney.
In announcing plans for the original site at McKinney National, the company cited a large concentration of Cirrus owners in the area as well as McKinney’s “business-friendly environment” as reasons for the site’s selection.
The completion of a training, maintenance and sales facility in Kissimmee, Fla., in early 2022 will bring the total number of Cirrus facilities across the country to six. The company also has locations in Duluth, Minn., Grand Forks, N.D., Knoxville, Tenn., and Scottsdale, Ariz.
