American aircraft manufacturer invests in new hangar

US-based Gulfstream Aerospace has awarded VolkerFitzpatrick a £34M contract to construct a new maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) aircraft hangar at Farnborough Airport.

The design and build project will see VolkerFitzpatrick build a purpose-built 20,400m² hangar to house up to 16 of Gulfstream’s private jets as well as maintenance facilities. The building will also include three floors of office space, customer experience areas and a café.

The structure will be composed of a steel frame, on top of concrete pad foundations, with a series of 67m-long trusses over the hangar doors. The building’s envelope will consist of composite clad walls and a standing seam roof.

Specialist services will be installed, as well as hangar doors, cranes and a deluge foam sprinkler system. External works will include a new car park, which will connect to the airport’s perimeter road.

In addition, the project includes demolition and reconstruction of an external apron, which ties into the taxiway, along with associated lighting and service installation.

Stuart Deverill, Managing Director of VolkerFitzpatrick’s Building division, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this exciting project to deliver Gulfstream’s first purpose-built MRO hangar facility in the UK. This is a fantastic opportunity and I look forward to our collaboration over the coming months.”

The new hangar is due to be completed in summer 2020, ready for the Farnborough Airshow.