Ampaire is relocating its headquarters to Long Beach airport in California.

“This move marks a significant milestone for Ampaire as we continue to grow and innovate in the electric aviation industry,” says CEO Kevin Noertker. “Long Beach airport offers the ideal environment for our expansion, providing us with the space, resources and support we need to take our company to the next level.”

Founded in 2016 in Temecula, California by three visionaries building prototypes in a garage, Ampaire has since called several locations home. As the company began to hire employees and mature as a startup, it moved to Los Angeles’s Cleantech Incubator in 2017, where it stayed through the end of 2018. The Cleantech Incubator was an excellent place for advanced prototyping and mentorship, leveraging the city’s rich talent pool in aerospace and electric vehicles, as well as its proximity to leading company innovators like SpaceX and Tesla.

In early 2019, Ampaire moved to Los Angeles’ Hawthorne airport, a hub at the intersection of advanced aerospace and vehicle technologies. The location was instrumental in maturing the company’s operations and pioneering new advancements. Ampaire was named Small Business of the Year in Hawthorne in 2023.

As Ampaire continued to grow, the need for more space became apparent. Long Beach airport was selected for its facilities, growth potential, city support and proximity to industry talent. The new headquarters offers 20 per cent more office space and 140 per cent additional hangar space than the previous location, and will accommodate an electrical engineering lab, mechanical fab shop and space for all programmes, including the Caravan hybrid-electric certification project, and its contracts with Air Force’s AFWERX, the Department of Energy ARPA-E and NASA.

“Relocating to Long Beach airport opens up tremendous opportunities for Ampaire,” Noertker explains. “We can now bring all our programmes under one roof, benefiting from the vibrant aerospace community here, and have the potential to conduct flight testing on-site. This move truly positions us for growth and innovation.”

Long Beach airport director Cynthia Guidry says: “From its earliest days, Long Beach airport has been a hub for the most innovative and exciting ideas in aviation. We are thrilled that Ampaire has selected it as its headquarters for its cutting-edge electric aviation startup.”

A key to Ampaire's growth has been support from programmes like CalCompetes, which helps businesses grow and stay in California. This initiative has recognised Ampaire’s potential and significantly contributed to the company's ability to expand operations within the state.