Airplane engine maker Pratt & Whitney plans $200M expansion of Georgia facility
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COLUMBUS, Ga. - Airplane engine maker Pratt & Whitney will invest more than $200 million to expand its engine overhaul center in Georgia, hiring 400 new workers.
The unit of Virginia-based Raytheon Technologies made the announcement Tuesday at the Paris Air Show with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who is leading a delegation to the aerospace trade show.
Pratt & Whitney currently has about 2,000 employees at two locations in Columbus, which have operated since 1984. One forges metal parts for engines, while another overhauls engines that are used on commercial and military airplanes.
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The expansion will take place at the engine overhaul facility, allowing the company to rebuild and overhaul up to 400 engines a year there now.
The company plans to finish hiring new engineers, mechanics and operators by the end of 2028, with Georgia paying to train workers. The money will also pay to expand the engine overhaul center by 81,000 square feet and to buy new equipment.
"This investment will help ensure that we have the infrastructure, machinery and equipment upgrades in place to provide the best products and services to our customers worldwide," Shane Eddy, President of Pratt & Whitney, said in a statement.
Pratt & Whitney could qualify for $1.6 million in state income tax credits, at $4,000 per job over five years, as long as workers make at least $31,300 a year. The company could qualify for other incentives, including property tax breaks from the consolidated Columbus-Muscogee County government.
Kemp said the expansion would help Georgia build on its aerospace trade, including $9.2 billion in aerospace exports in 2022.