Spirit Airlines will open a maintenance hangar at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) that will eventually be staffed with more than 50 workers, the company said April 20. 

The facility includes two internal bays, four exterior ramp spaces, and both office and warehouse space. Slated to open for business around Aug. 1, the new facility will handle “overnight scheduled checks, engine changes, and other repairs that are best performed in a hangar,” a Spirit spokesman said. 

The site will complement Spirit’s existing maintenance operation in Detroit, which handles overnight checks, and help the growing carrier maintain its all-Airbus narrowbody fleet. 

“Maintaining our [fleet] in top condition is a priority for us every day, and we’ve picked the perfect additional location for our stellar Technical Operations team as they support our on-going growth,” Spirit EVP and COO John Bendoraitis said. “Thank you to the IAH team for the great 10-year partnership, and we look forward to adding jobs and new maintenance capacity as we grow our presence in the community.” 

Adding a second maintenance facility to help ease the strain on Detroit has been in the works for several years. A “maintenance optimization” project bought the airline some time to weigh its options. Like most low-cost carriers, Spirit limits its internal maintenance capabilities, conducting overnight and light checks. All heavy airframe and engine maintenance is outsourced. 

Spirit’s fleet includes 31 A319s, 64 A320ceos, 51 A320neos and 30 A321ceos, Aviation Week Fleet Discovery shows. It has 151 aircraft on order—all A320neo-family variants.  

Scheduled deliveries include 24 in 2022 and 33 in 2023, the airline said.