Aery Aviation to add 211 jobs, expand Newport News HQ

Newport News-based defense contractor Aery Aviation LLC will add 211 jobs with the $15.3 million expansion of its headquarters in Newport News, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday.

The aviation company will build a 60,000 square-foot hangar with access to the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport runway and an engineering technology center to provide maintenance and modification services.

“Hampton Roads’ rich history in aerospace and aviation provides an ideal backdrop for Aery Aviation to grow and become more successful than ever before,” Northam said in a statement. “The region is home to world-class higher education and research institutions that have helped to advance the aerospace industry. We look forward to supporting Aery Aviation as it enters into its next phase of growth here in the commonwealth.”

Founded in 2016, Aery Aviation provides aerospace design, engineering, systems integration, modifications, certification, maintenance and flight operations solutions. The company has mainly government clients, including the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard.

“Aery has enjoyed the partnership with the Newport News community and airport staff over the last four years,” Aery Aviation Executive Vice President Scott Beale said in a statement. “Their collective support and pro-business environment persuaded Aery to invest more than $15 million into the construction, expansion and upfit of the buildings for this new state-of-the-art facility, which also includes an investment in machinery, tools, furniture, fixtures and business personal property. Aery is happy to call Newport News its home for decades to come.”

Virginia competed with Maryland, Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia for the project.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the city of Newport News, the Hampton Roads Alliance and the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport to secure the project. The Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund granted Newport News $280,000.

Aery Aviation is eligible to receive benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, and funding and services through VEDP’s Virginia Jobs Investment Program, which provides state funding to companies creating new jobs in order to support employee recruitment and training activities.