Allegiant will build a new $24 million East Coast training center near the Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) creating 11 new high-wage jobs in the region. Local and state officials joined Maury Gallagher, chief executive officer and chairman of Allegiant, in August to formally break ground on what will be the airline’s 43,000 square-foot facility.
“It’s been great to see how our partnership with Orlando Sanford International Airport, Airports Worldwide and the entire community has grown and thrived,” said Gallagher. “We’re so pleased that this new, state-of-the-art facility will place Sanford at the center of training activity and the leading edge of technology for all our East Coast crew members.”
When completed and equipped, the training center will host Allegiant flight crew members and mechanics by Q1 of 2017. Allegiant operates a similar facility in Las Vegas, Nevada to train West Coast-based crews. The East Coast training center will have the capacity to train 150 pilots, 500 flight attendants and 100 mechanics annually, on a full range of flight simulator, cabin trainers, and classroom resources for A320 and MD80 aircraft.
Over the 11 years the airline has served the Orlando area, Allegiant has flown nearly 14 million people to and from the destination. Allegiant currently offers non-stop service to Sanford from more than 70 cities across the U.S.