ORLANDO, Fla. – Thousands of passengers will be flying in and out of the Orlando Sanford International Airport this holiday travel season. It’s an airport that is growing with hundreds of millions of dollars in development projects in the works.
On Wednesday, our News 6 team got an inside look at one of the newest buildings that is part of the changing landscape at the airport.
The Riken Construction & Design team showed our crew where they’re building a state-of-the-art hangar facility with AirBoss Hangars.
“We have 17,000 square feet of hangar space,” said Construction Project Manager Jim Lees, as he showed us the foundation where the facility will be built.
“We’re almost done with the slab prep, getting the inspection at the end of this week so that we can pour early morning Monday,” said Philip Boudreau, the project superintendent.
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A rendering at the site shows what it will look like when it’s finished. There will be a driveway for parking, and enough space in the pre-engineered metal structure for multiple planes.
“The hangar door itself is about 110 feet wide,” said Lees. “This will fit a tail height up to about 28 feet because of the doors. The hangar itself is about 34 feet high. It’s probably bigger than any of the other ones in here.”
The project is just the beginning for the team, which shared that there are already plans to build a 30,000-square-foot hangar nearby.
Brian Smith, COO of AirBOSS Hangars, tells News 6 they hope to build much more in Sanford.
“We’re extremely proud to be breaking ground on this incredible project,” said Brian Smith, COO of AirBOSS Hangars. “We want to thank the staff at the Sanford Airport Authority (SAA) for their trust in AirBOSS and for helping see this project through to fruition. We’re hopeful this is just the beginning of many exciting developments for our team and our partners here at Sanford.”
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Smith credited the partnerships for driving progress, including the first new hangar development at SFB since 2020. A press release called it a “major milestone for the airport, its economic growth, and ongoing aviation expansion within our region.”
Michael Boudreau, President and CEO of Riken Construction & Design said there is a demand of hangar space, and there’s space in Sanford to grow. He believes the work will support local companies, hire local people, and overall add to Seminole County’s economy.
The airport itself is surrounded by hundreds of acres of land primed for development, and projects in the works aim to make SFB not just a travel hub, but a driver of economic growth.
A spokesperson for the airport said the over 18-acre hangar project is in the design phase, with permitting expected in the first quarter of 2026.
There are also key infrastructure projects underway as part of the Airport Master Plan, including:
- $23 million Runway 9L rehabilitation: Work is substantially complete, with final completion anticipated in January.
- $6 million Remote parking lot: Work is underway. Anticipate opening late summer of 2026.
The upgrades come as the airport and the surrounding area continue to grow.
In October, plans to build a $200 million connector between the S.R. 417 and the airport were approved by the Central Florida Expressway Authority.
A study presented by CFX cited an 87% increase in enplanements (2024 - 2050) and 400% increase in air freight tonnage ( 2017 - 2037) as reasons why the road project is a priority. They also predict traffic on Lake Mary Boulevard and Red Cleveland Boulevard (Airport Entrance) will both increase in the next 25 years with planned residential and commercial development.