Aeronautics: Aero 145 Aegis plans to invest €34 million in Avignon
Avignon airport expects to host significant industrial activity driven by Aero 145 Aegis, a group of investors from the fields of law, finance and aeronautics. Their project aims to create an industrial sector that integrates several activities on medium-haul aircraft, such as the ATR 72, A321 or Boeing 737 for the larger ones. For the first time in Francea company will integrate on one site the activities of maintenanceof to paintof dismantlingof recyclingof sale of certified spare partsof parkingof reconfigurations of old aircraft passengers in freight aircraft, while providing the guarantees of traceability inherent in aeronautics.
14,000m2 sheds
President by Joseph Heriaef and driven by Francois Wawruszczakthe project relies on €34 million of medium-long-term investment, the construction of six hangars for a total of 14,000 m2, employment of 220 people within three years which should ultimately generate 500 indirect jobs. François Wawruszczak emphasizes guaranteeing €5 million to secure buildings well beyond current standards in order to ensure, in complete safety, in a confined environment, activities that will notably reprocess metals, fluids and gas.
The Avignon-Provence airport company (SAAP), the company that manages the airport, issued by Luc Crespo100% ownership of the Vaucluse Chamber of Commerce and Industry, plans to expand its parking areas to meet the demand for aircraft storage and help relieve the saturated parking areas of international airports. The current runway, sized to accommodate medium-haul flights, will not be modified.
Gradual take-off
For its start-up, the company initially plans to occupy 900 m2, a floor of the existing H21 hangar. The investors are finalizing a financing plan of €1.5 million, 70% insured by the Region, for the erection of a marquee between 1,600 m2 and 1,800m2 of canvas supported by a metal structure to accommodate an increase in activity. Today, the company has, as means of action, its share capital of €400,000, a loan of €690,000 within the framework of France Relance and €400,000 in aid from the Region.
Public support
For more than a year, Julien Fraysse, sub-prefect for recovery for Vaucluse, has been supporting the project on behalf of the departmental and regional prefectures.
” We have analyzed a capital-solid company and studied the market. Some operators have signed letters of commitment to Aero 145 Aegis to entrust them with their aircraft. The design of the entire recycling part is carried out with Ademe. Concentrating all activities on the same site will save rotations and reduce the production of greenhouse gases (GHG). »
Julien Fraysse stresses that the Avignon platform must now be seen as a real industrial hub.
François Wawruszczak hopes to welcome his first ATR 72 by the end of the year and medium-haul aircraft as soon as the marquee is delivered. The expansion of the financial round continues to allow the realization of 10,000 m2 of the first four hangars expected for the first quarter of 2024 and will reach €47 million in revenue within three years.
The development of the Avignon platform is part of a project launched several years ago by the regional council to meet the strong demand for industrial facilities in France’s leading aeronautical region, ahead of the Toulouse and Paris regions in terms of of employment, faced with the saturated industrial sites of Marignane (Airbus Helicopters) and Cannes-la-Bocca (Thales). This long-term policy had seen the construction of the nursery Pegasusthe move of Borghino (high-end aeronautical upholstery) and the national helicopter base TEN (Electricity transmission network).