AAR Corp. at Chennault International Airport has “landed its big customer” — a major air carrier — and will begin employing up to 175 aircraft mechanics within the next two months, a company executive said Monday.

“Things are starting to pick up as we hoped and planned it would,” said Danny Martinez, AAR vice president of technical services. “The doors are open, and we’re hiring people.”

The “Tier 1” customer will “bring in steady work,” Martinez said. He said he is unable to release the name of the customer at this time.

About 70 mechanics are currently employed at AAR in Lake Charles. When Aeroframe’s lease with Chennault was terminated in August of 2013 and turned over to AAR, the new partnership was estimated to support a 750-job aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul operation.

In March, AAR had given its aircraft mechanics the option to transfer to two other AAR facilities in Indiana and Minnesota until the company found more work to bring to Lake Charles. The mechanics returned this week.

“That was a very successful project in that it helped us here because we were lighter in work,” he said. “They were out working on aircraft and gaining experience.”

Martinez said Chennault is “shaping up to be a wide-body facility” for the Illinois-based AAR — an aspect that was lacking in the company’s six locations nationwide.

“It’s constantly about getting the right fit and the feel for the space we have to put the large aircraft in,” he said. “The most important thing for us right now is to get the new hangar up and running.”

The target date for AAR to be able to bring in an aircraft for the $21 million Hangar H, which began construction a year ago, is Sept. 15. In total, the company has five hangars leased from Chennault.

In order to solidify AAR’s presence at Chennault, the state offered AAR an incentive package that included a $2 million performance-based grant. In October 2013, AAR was given a 10-year tax exemption from the Calcasieu Parish School Board — a request that was denied to Aeroframe in May 2013, three months before the company ceased operations and couldn’t pay its workers for their last two weeks of work.

AAR has one remaining aircraft from Aeroframe, which Martinez said is currently being painted and “should be gone shortly.”

Employment is available for aircraft mechanics and managers. For employment opportunities at AAR, apply at www.aarcorp.com.(American Press Archives)