Alaska Airlines opened its brand new hangar at the Ted Stevens International Airport today with a ceremony. The hangar, 105,000 square feet, holds two Boeing 737 jets side by side, allowing maintenance of those jets to be done in Anchorage, rather than be flown to Seattle.
The addition of several mechanics jobs that are going to be based in Anchorage will add opportunities in a city that has suffered from recession for four years.
The new hangar, built at a cost of $40 million, has an air-handling and heat recovery system that helps the building retain heat when the hangar doors must be opened. The building can return to 65 degrees from 25 degrees in a matter of minutes after the doors are closed.
Attending the ceremony were Sen. Lisa Murkowski and her husband Verne Martell, and Gov. Bill Walker. Murkowski and Walker both made remarks.