RALEIGH – flyExclusive, the Kinston-based provider of what it calls “premium jet charter experiences,” is turning $30 million from the state of North Carolina into a new headquarters and what it calls a “cutting-edge pilot training center and headquarters” at the Global TransPark.
A line in the recently passed North Carolina budget notes “$30,000,000 to the GTP for a flight training and corporate office facility,” an “earmark” – one of many – as reported by WRAL News.
On Thursday, flyExclusive confirmed to WRAL News that the budget line was for the HQ it announced in a press release which says the money is an “investment.”
The TransPark, a spokesperson for the N.C. Department of Transportation, clarified some aspects of the funding.
“The N.C. General Assembly appropriated $30 million to the N.C. Department of Transportation (Global TransPark is part of NCDOT) to construct and lease this facility at the Global TransPark in Kinston,” the spokesperson explained.
“flyExclusive, a charter flight service which has an existing facility at the Global TransPark, is seeking to expand its operation and needs this facility to do so. The Global TransPark will own the building and contract with a private firm to construct the facility in line with what flyExclusive is seeking. This will be a five-story facility with office space and flight training simulators. The simulators would enable flyExclusive to train and certify its pilots in-house.”
A rendering of the future flyExclusive headquarters and training center. (flyExclusive image)
Said CEO Jim Segrave: “We believe this latest investment will bring hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars to the state and community we love.”
State Sen. Jim Perry and state Rep. Chris Humphrey strongly backed the funding as well as hundreds of millions more for projects at the TransPark.
“There aren’t any clawbacks in this case,” the the NC DOT spokesperson said. “If flyExclusive were to leave, the Global TransPark would find a new tenant for the facility.”
The training facility is intended to “train and certify its own pilots” as well as others which the company believes will help “reduce a lengthy backlog in the nation’s pilot training pipeline.”
FlyExclusive, which continues to move toward an initial public offering of stock through a merger with a public company EG Acquisition Corp., will use part of the building for its corporate operations as well.
But the flight training center will dominate, containing five “full-motion” flight simulators. The building will also include a 22,000 square foot operations center and 14,000 square feet of classrooms and training space.
The company recently added the 100th aircraft to its fleet.
It already operates four hangars at GTP and plans a further expansion that will allow the company to bring some 80% of its aircraft maintenance “in house,” the company says.
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