US Part 135 operator flyExclusive has opened a 9,500 sq ft hangar in Kinston, North Carolina, which will house aspects of the company's growing MRO division.

The new facility expands flyExclusive's capacity in its paint refurbishment division, with the goal of establishing a consistent standard for customers across its modernised fleet. As the latest addition to flyExclusive's dedicated MRO space, the hangar brings the company's total paint infrastructure to more than 33,000 sq ft with the ability to paint over eight aircraft per month. By having this capacity in-house, flyExclusive's MRO division can more efficiently address repairs and cosmetic updates, increasing aircraft uptime for the company's fleet.

The opening of the new hangar marks the completion of Phase 2 of flyExclusive's campus expansion plan, including the construction of four major hangar facilities that comprise its MRO business. Phase three will include a new corporate headquarters, ground and flight training space that will house its simulators and an additional approximately 80,000 sq ft of maintenance facilities.

At the ribbon cutting event flyExclusive founder and CEO Jim Segrave says: “flyExclusive was born out of my passion for aviation. I was a pilot before I was CEO, so I understand the value of ensuring that our jets look as good as they fly. We believe our latest investment in this facility will have far-reaching benefits for our business, including increased reliability, efficiency and substantially reduced costs. Maintenance shortages are an industry-wide challenge. By bringing 80 per cent of our aircraft maintenance in-house, we will further our commitment to exceptional service, reliability and an unmatched customer experience.”

flyExclusive completed construction of its first paint hangar in 2021, with the goal of developing a modern electrostatic paint facility. Some of the facilities were constructed through a public-private partnership with the North Carolina Global TransPark.

flyExclusive's mission is to become a fully vertically integrated private aviation company. Consistent with the its mission, the hangar opening follows a series of milestone announcements for flyExclusive including its purchase of up to approximately $600 million of new Textron Citation Jets and its plans to become a publicly traded company.