Cirrus Aircraft says it will invest $25 million in its Duluth facilities, including more than $2 million to upgrade a newly leased building near the city’s airport, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper. Cirrus will lease a city-owned facility that formerly accommodated an aircraft maintenance company AAR Corporation until the pandemic impelled its closure. Cirrus will have the option to purchase the facility outright.

The Minnesota-based GA aircraft manufacturer is planning a major expansion to triple its production over the next ten-years. “The county has approved its part of a combined 10-year, $1.2 million local tax abatement package and city officials will reportedly consider their portion in March. The company also hopes to receive funding and forgivable loans from state economic development programs.”

“Cirrus officials told the Star Tribune that the Duluth project would allow for more manufacturing capacity and noted that the company is currently running low on space for both production and R&D operations. The expansion is expected to add at least 80 new jobs to its Duluth workforce of more than 1,200 employees.”

“We are now the largest single-engine aircraft manufacturer in our class,” said Bill King, a government relations official with Cirrus Aircraft.