AirTran Airways, which unveiled a new $6.9 million operations control center near Orlando International Airport Tuesday, said it plans to move 100 pilots to Orlando this fall, generating millions of dollars in economic impact for the region.The new pilot base joins Milwaukee and Atlanta as home turf locations for AirTran’s pilots. In addition to giving the airline more flexibility with its staff, the new base will bring high-wage jobs from an industry coveted by economic developers.
Based on a typical pilot’s salary, the total economic impact of the transfers could reach “tens of millions” of dollars, an AirTran spokesman said.
Bob Fornaro, the Orlando-based airline’s chairman, president and chief executive, called the opening of the operations center and the addition of the pilot base “significant signs” of the airline’s plans to continue to grow in Orlando.“We are fortunate to be part of the fabric of Central Florida and look forward to continuing to increase our presence here both today and well into the future,” Fornaro said.
AirTran employs more than 1,000 people in the Central Florida area, including at its corporate headquarters, operations center, and a maintenance facilit
Source: OrlandoSentinel.com
