New Business Opportunities for Tri-Cities Aerospace Park

The area of the Tri-Cities Airport Authority Aerospace Park is immense, with green, East Tennessee acreage stretching in every direction. The only thing that could be bigger is the possibilities for the location and its environs. Aerospace Park is a 160-acre development property close to Tri-Cities Airport with an 8,000-foot runway. The park was created to act as a hub for enterprises involved in aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul.

Canty informed the Times News that the area has been levelled, graded, and ready for aviation enterprises since September. The idea, according to Canty, is to welcome aeronautical enterprises constructed to operate on a runway that will also provide better-paying jobs in the area. Once the Aerospace Park is fully operational with enterprises, it is expected to provide 1,500 to 2,000 employment. Other opportunities may arise as a result of the property’s presence in the Tri-Cities.

A large area of land surrounding the airport with views of Boone Lake could be developed into a hotel or apartment complex. The Northeast State Community College hangar is also located in Aerospace Park, providing students with additional options through the college’s aviation programme. For a long time, the site has been regarded as a “regional endeavour.” The cities of Kingsport, Johnson City, Bristol, Sullivan County, and Washington County each contributed $8.5 million to make the space a business-ready location halfway between Miami and New York.

The COVID-19 epidemic, on the other hand, posed obstacles for the site, which was set to open in 2020. According to Canty, the pandemic has hindered certain promotional efforts, but trade exhibitions and marketing opportunities have expanded. Canty added that while the park’s economic development isn’t aiming for a set date from here, marketing and promotion activities are picking up as the desire to fill the expansive park persists.