Governor Earl Ray Tomblin announced Tuesday the expansion of a North Central West Virginia facility expected to bring new jobs to the area.
Tomblin joined Bombardier Commercial Aircraft officials to announce plans to expand the Bridgeport aircraft service center. The facility currently employs around 400 people, but will double in size once the expansion project begins in the spring of 2017.
Tomblin estimated the new 300,000 square foot service center will employ an additional 150 people.
A Bombardier representative said the company was unsure of the number of new jobs the expansion would create, but they do expect an increase in their employment numbers.
The Bridgeport facility provides heavy maintenance for regional sized jets and turboprop planes in North America.
The service center has been open for 18 years and with the expansion will be able to accommodate 20 maintenance lines at a time, up from the 9 lines at the facility today.