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A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the LaGrange-Callaway Airport on Thursday for Aerotron’s new campus construction for their accessory component repair facility.

Aerotron plans to invest upwards of $150 million into the multi-facility campus, including a new hangar for the airport.

Aerotron is currently leasing the land from the airport, but part of the development plans is to eventually own their own facilities. FFA regulations do not allow airports to sell property to private companies, but the county and city have worked a potential solution with a planned land swap. 

“County staff particularly has worked really hard to make this project happen. It becomes a little difficult sometimes when you’re dealing with the federal government and all the hoops we have to jump through,” said Commission Chair Patrick Crews. “The City of LaGrange, we jointly own the airport. This was a joint effort of all of us, and I want to thank them and acknowledge all they did.”

As part of the planned land swap, the airport will get 22 acres at the end of the runway, and Aerotron will get 15.5 acres for its new campus.

Airport Director Troy Anderson, along with Scott Malone and Kelly Bush with the LaGrange Development Authority, and LaGrange Mayor Jim Arrington helped negotiate the deal.

The LaGrange-Callaway Airport is relatively small, but it has an enormous number of commercial and general aviation enthusiasts and professionals that come through the airport throughout the year, Anderson said.

Anderson manages a small staff of only six people, who oversee an average of 100 to 120 takeoffs and landings per day. 

“This airport is growing. We’ve seen significant numbers of increase in traffic, and that is a huge positive, not only for the airport but for the community. We’re absolutely excited for what the future is going to bring for us when we see this complex come to full development. From the development of a hobby aviation interest by Fuller Callaway and his family started back in the 1920s,” Anderson said.

The 15.5 acres will soon see construction begin on a four-phase project for their state-of-the-art aviation business, said Mark Westley of Aerotron.

Phase 1 will construct a 70,000-square-foot facility of mixed maintenance, repair operations and warehousing. Phase 2 will include a 70,000-square-foot facility to allow for the expansion of Aerotron America’s aircraft spare part warehousing and to facilitate future aircraft teardowns. Phase 3 will add a 100,000-square-foot composite facility. Phase 4 will add a hangar and ramp, covering 1.86 acres.