Ascent is expanding from its home in Arizona and expects to open in New Mexico by the end of the year. The company plans to hire 360 employees in Roswell with an average salary of over $60,000. Chaves County has committed an additional $3 million in utility and infrastructure improvements and Ascent plans to invest $20 million into the New Mexico location. The project is expected to have a statewide economic impact of $545 million over 10 years.
“Impactful projects like these are exactly what the state should be investing in,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “Together, with the private sector and local governments, we are putting Roswell on the map for aviation repair and maintenance.”
Ascent Aviation is branded as a one-stop shop for aviation maintenance including storage, maintenance, reclamation, and fuelling. It services narrow, widebody, and regional aircraft and has authorizations on Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer, and Airbus aircraft. It also services airlines, cargo operators, leasing companies, and VIPs.
Rubb landed the contract to supply a 300ft MRO hangar to the facility back in 2021.
Rubb USA president, David Nickerson, at the Ascent Aviation Announcement, February 2022.
The 300ft (span) x 300ft (length) x 40ft (leg) hangar will be capable of housing widebody aircraft as large as the Airbus A380. Easy access for aircraft is ensured with the five-panel, vertical-lift Assa Abloy Megadoor system with pivoting mullions. These high-quality doors provide faster opening times and excellent air tightness and wind resistance.
The project will also feature several smaller access points, primarily a 12ft x 12ft electrically operated roller shutter door, complimented by four 3ft x 7ft pedestrian doors fitted with panic hardware and vision windows.
The 10-span hot-dip galvanized steel frame is clad with specialized architectural PVC fabric from Serge Ferrari, which deflects light and heat—ideal for hot temperatures.
The hangar is part of Rubb Building Systems’ AVC range, which has seen similarly mammoth MRO hangars such as AAR’s twin-span project located at Chicago Rockford International Airport, completed in 2017. More recently, Rubb Building Systems delivered a 270ft x 287ft x 32ft AVC hangar to Turkish Technic’s Istanbul Airport operation in 2019.
Rubb Building Systems Sales Executive, Sean Hickey, said: “After initially looking at conventional construction options, Ascent decided to use a Rubb structure for the MRO hangar project. This decision was arrived at after considering a myriad of variables; cost, schedule, safety record, etc. At Rubb USA, we are very proud of our safety and performance records and happy that our experience with other large hangar projects helped pave the way for the Ascent project. We are looking forward to adding another happy customer to our ranks, and seeing a third 300ft clearspan Rubb hangar completed!”
Take a 360º VR tour of the hangar concept below:
To learn more about how Rubb can support your aviation operations, contact the team today.
