The Piedmont Triad International Airport, which has established itself as a regional employment center with approximately 8,600 jobs, is seeing even more employment growth, according to Kevin Baker, the airport’s executive director.
“Two of our major tenants – FedEx and HAECO – are adding employees,” Baker said. “These two companies already employ a significant number of people, and that number is growing.”
HAECO Americas, one of the world’s largest providers of aircraft maintenance and repair services, plans to hire an additional 150 to 200 people to fill a need for aircraft mechanics. FedEx Express has also hired additional workers.
“The FedEx Express Mid-Atlantic Hub at PTI has recently added approximately 350 new employees to support an expanded schedule of daytime flights at the hub. The new jobs at FedEx will bring total employment to more than 1,000 workers, and will include part-time, full-time and management positions,” according to Tom Maxwell, Managing Director at the FedEx Express Mid-Atlantic hub.
“We are very encouraged by the job growth at HAECO and at the Fed-Ex Mid-Atlantic Hub, which appears to be driven by the increasing demand for expedited delivery service,” said Paul Mengert, the chairman of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority.
HAECO services FedEx aircraft as well as those of other cargo and passenger carriers. Aircraft maintenance demand increased sharply for HAECO Americas several months ago, said Bill Collins, President – Airframe Services at HAECO. Now that passenger service is beginning to recover, HAECO needs additional mechanics to handle the expanded workload.
“HAECO has created a new website – HAECOisHiring.com – to help educate and guide those interested in a career with HAECO, as well as a longstanding training partnership with Guilford Technical Community College,” Collins said. “We are committed to creating a career path for people who want to grow into these jobs.”
Baker noted that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, cargo traffic at the airport was up nearly 30 percent in February 2021 compared to the pre-pandemic traffic of February 2020. The increase in cargo translates into a need for more workers.
“Cargo is one of the sectors where we expect to see a good amount of job growth in the coming years,” Baker said. “Because of our location, highway access and available land, the airport is well positioned to take advantage of that growth.”
Expanded service at the FedEx hub solidifies the airport as North Carolina’s leading freight service airport, which was documented in a recent report conducted by the state’s Department of Transportation.
PTI leads the state in cargo service, with total annual processed freight of 303,500 tons, according to the report. Cargo carriers that operate at PTI include FedEx, UPS, and Kalitta Air, with FedEx responsible for the majority of cargo service.