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Jet company brings new facility to Melbourne
Hundreds of jobs and a $100 million-plus investment in aerospace are coming to the Space Coast. Construction is underway on a new jet maintenance facility at the Melbourne Orlando International Airport. Dassault Falcon Jet, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dassault Aviation, says the location was perfect, and the area has the workforce they need.
MELBOURNE, Fla. - Hundreds of jobs and a $100 million-plus investment in aerospace are coming to the Space Coast.
Construction is underway on a new jet maintenance facility at the Melbourne Orlando International Airport. Dassault Falcon Jet, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dassault Aviation, says the location was perfect, and the area has the workforce they need.
High-end, international private jets will soon come to the Space Coast for maintenance and restoration.
"Aerospace isn’t just about rockets and engines. It’s manufacturing, processing, and supporting the entire ecosystem from concept to completion. That’s exactly what we are celebrating here today," said Robert Long who’s the new CEO and president of Space Florida.
Local, state, and international officials gathered on Wednesday to celebrate 400 new jobs and a $115 million economic investment in the region. Dassault Aviation is a global company based in France, but the CEO says their clients are swarming to the Sunshine State.
"We had a lot of customers in New York, Detroit state area, and they were moving to Florida," said Thierry Betbeze, CEO of Dassault Falcon Jet.
Lawmakers want people who already live here to stay and snag the new jobs.
"This has allowed our students to secure rewarding careers right here in our hometown," said Florida State Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Melbourne.
Melbourne's mayor says his own daughter is studying aviation in high school, so she’s ready to step into the industry.
"Our community is working on growing our young students to come in and take these jobs, so you picked the right community," said Mayor Paul Alfrey.
Having an equipped workforce was important to the company, and they found the skills they were looking for on the Space Coast.
"Our community should be proud that the Space Coast came on top of this selection process," concluded Lynda Weatherman, president and CEO of the Economic Development Commission.
The new facility should open in 2025.