18-04-2025
Why American Airlines operator chose Knoxville for new jet maintenance base adding 100 jobs
PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines that operates flights under the American Eagle brand, will establish a large maintenance base at McGhee Tyson Airport and create 100 jobs.
American Airlines is the busiest carrier at McGhee Tyson, and PSA operates popular routes from Knoxville to hubs in Charlotte, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
PSA will lease a 76,000-square-foot hangar previously occupied by ExpressJet, a regional carrier that declared bankruptcy and ceased operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The airline will move quickly to build out the maintenance base once the lease begins May 1, said Michael Bruhn, vice president of finance and supply chain at PSA.
"There's not a lot of other hangar facilities that have already been constructed within our network," Bruhn told Knox News, adding that Knoxville has "a very strong, talented job market as far as technicians go."
PSA aims to recruit graduates of Pellissippi State Community College's aviation technology program, set to launch later this year at its Blount County campus.
McGhee Tyson had been searching for a new tenant since early 2021. The hangar sits at the northeast corner of the airport, near its cargo operations across the runways from the terminal building.
PSA can fit four regional jets in the hangar at once for so-called B checks, which occur two to three times a year for more in-depth maintenance than routine A checks.
The airline's fleet includes 140 regional jets and it averages more than 750 daily departures, primarily to connect small airports to large American hubs in the eastern U.S. The airline is based in Dayton, Ohio, but will move its headquarters to Charlotte next year.
The new base could mean more flights coming to Knoxville, since PSA needs to route its jets through McGhee Tyson for periodic maintenance. The airline has nine other maintenance bases, but McGhee Tyson is its first base for B checks.
"Having the facility here generally results in more flights, because an airline knows they've got to run their airplanes though this hangar," Jim Evans, the airport's chief marketer, told Knox News. "You don't want to fly them in empty."
McGhee Tyson was the fastest growing major U.S. airport last year, beating all other top 100 largest airports in passenger growth, according to data from the Department of Transportation.
Its traffic grew 18% year-to-year for a record 3.3 million passengers, thanks largely to a new airline and new flights.
The airport is building a 3,600-space, six-story parking garage to open in 2027 before it expands its terminal to add more gates.
Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Email: Signal: @danieldassow.24.
Support strong local journalism by subscribing at
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: American Airlines operator adds maintenance base at Knoxville airport
