Cirrus Growing in Knoxville

TN – Duluth, Minnesota-based Cirrus Aircraft first established their presence at Knoxville’s McGhee-Tyson Airport (TYS) in 2015 with the construction of a $2.4 million Aircraft Factory Service Center and the company shows no signs of slowing down. With sales of Cirrus aircraft projected to increase to 680 this year, 150 more than in 2021, the company recently added three 12,000 SF hangars to store aircraft for customers traveling to Knoxville for training or to pick up their purchase. With these acquisitions Cirrus has now invested more than $19 million in its Knoxville campus. The new hangars will accommodate new aircraft delivery services and annual inspection and maintenance services as well as the pilot training required by the FAA.

The campus is designed to facilitate the full range of Cirrus customer services and pilot training, and the new hangars have expanded the customer experience to include a state-of-the-art media center, flight training classrooms, simulators, and offices as well as maintenance shops.  Cirrus says its flights account for about 25% of the airport’s operations, with total operations increasing more than 50% in 2021 and Cirrus accounting for ~40% of the growth. In addition, the hangars have created 50 new jobs for a total of 250, and Cirrus also says that by the end of 2022 their customer visits for sales and training will have generated 4,000 nights of hotel stays in the Knoxville area. By 2024 Cirrus expects to have completed expansion of its “Vision Center,” which will become the primary hub for customers dedicated and specifically designed to provide the training, factory direct and delivery services for Cirrus customers.