Duplin breaks ground on $3.6M corporate hangar at County Airport

KENANSVILLE — For the second time this month, Duplin County leaders gathered with shovels in hand — this time to break ground on a $3.6 million corporate aircraft hangar they say will elevate the region’s economy and solidify the county airport as a hub for business growth.

Held at the Duplin County Airport on Sept. 16, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new 15,000-square-foot corporate aircraft hangar marked a significant milestone for Duplin County.

During the ceremony, Chairman of the Duplin County Commissioners, Dexter Edwards, called the occasion a “historical event,” and credited the late George Futrelle, former airport director, for his role in laying the groundwork for the project.

“It’s amazing how it started out with a few people getting together and bringing in some of their equipment and doing the work themselves,” Edwards said. “As I’ve had the privilege in my previous job to travel place to place, I’ve never seen an airport that competes with our Duplin County Airport.”

Edwards also praised the current airport director, Joshua Raynor, for the professionalism and hospitality he extends to pilots and company owners flying into the airport.

Airport Commission Chairman Jack Alphin echoed Edwards’ praise of the airport.

“We think we have as nice a small airport, not only in North Carolina, the nation,” Alphin said in his remarks.

Alphin remarked, “If you have a facility, they will come. We think this will bring an individual or a company to Duplin County because this facility is here.”

Airport director Joshua Raynor told the crowd, “This 15,000 square foot hangar will expand our capacity to attract new business, which will drive the economic development in the county.”

In an interview after the ceremony, Raynor told Duplin Journal that the new hangar will have space large enough to accommodate a corporate aircraft in addition to office space.

The $3.6 million needed for the hangar construction will come from the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Reserve Directed Funds. According to a report released this year by the North Carolina Division of Aviation, the Duplin County Airport generates $6.3 million in tax revenue and supports 455 jobs in the region, with an estimated economic impact of $146.4 million for Duplin County.