b'58 Southwest Builds Maintenance HangarDEN HANGARSat Denver Intl BY SEAN OKEEFE PHOTO: JAMES RAY SPAHN|970-209-5111|JAMESRAYSPAHN.COMIn aviation and architecture, theWe are delighted that Southwest chose horizon is ever distant. At DenverDEN as the site for its new hangar, says International Airport (DEN), sightlinesKarayiannakis. Southwest announced this are clear, and the future looks bright. Presentlyproject in 2019. They made a tremendous the third-busiest airport in the United States,investment and showed incredible fortitude to DEN is growing on many fronts. Its recentlykeep working through COVID.completed Concourse Expansion Program added 39 new gates during a multi-yearBuilding Bigproject that overhauled the airports footprint.Designed to house three 737 airplanes and park Meanwhile, the ongoing $1.3 billion Great Halleight more on the apron, the 128,000-square-improvement project that kicked off in 2022foot hangar is the first of its kind to open at DEN. is expected to continue into summer 2028.The heavy steel and structural concrete building Among it all, Southwest Airlines new hangar,features a 207-foot clear span that is nearly the which opened on the eastern edge of thelength of a football field, and required 48,000 airfield in March 2022, represents a $100 millioncubic yards of concrete to construct. Airport investment of permanence. leaders attribute its reduced carbon footprint DEN takes a lot of prideto creative problem solving by the project in our partnerships withteam. The large, specialized facility is also a FACTS&FIGURESColorado communitiestemplate for other similarly sized hangars the Project: Aircraft Maintenance Hangar and the airlines that weairline is currently planning at strategic locations Location: Denver Intl Airport serve, says Georgethroughout the U.S. Hangar Owner: Southwest Airlines Karayiannakis, senior viceDEN is a key cog for president for Airline andSouthwest, says Jay Purpose: Overnight repairsCommercial Affairs. AsGEORGE KARAYIANNAKIS Fretwell, Sr., the airlines Size: 128,000 sq. ft.the main economic driver for Colorados Frontmanager of Facilities Capacity: Three 737s inside, 8 more outside Range, DEN injects an estimated $33 billionProjects. Fretwell oversees Designer: Ghafari Associates annually into local economies, and fully 60% ofa team of nine project Builder: Swinerton Construction Co. its passengers are on origination and destinationmanagers who leadJAY FRETWELL, SR.flights. Since opening in 1995, DEN has grownconstruction projects for Program Manager: Jviation from 33.1 million annual passengers to a the 121 U.S. airports that Southwest serves. Facility Feature: 6 prefabricated fiberglasspre-pandemic high of 69 million. And airportHis team develops plans with designers and service pitsleaders have their sights set even higherbuilders for everything from mega-assets such Hangar Doors: Megadoor, by ASSA ABLOYwith Vision 100, an initiative to grow annualas hangars to small back offices and ticket Entrance Systems enplanements to 100 million passengers in counters. When developing the recent project Construction: July 2019-March 2022 the next eight to 10 years.at DEN, Southwest worked with designers March | April 2023AirportImprovement.com'