Houston City Council Approves $5.5 Million for Texas Southern University Flight Academy at Ellington Airport

Houston, Texas.- The deficit of commercial pilots in industrialized countries and leaders of commercial fleets is close to 60,000, according to Statista. The United States has a deficit of 20,629 and this has caused concern in different sectors, which is why the Houston City Council unanimously approved that Houston Airports use 5.5 million dollars from its Airport Improvement Fund to build the Flight Academy from Texas Southern University -TSU-.

The two-acre project will be located at the Ellington Airport, and will be built on a portion of land accessible to an existing internal taxi lane connection.

In addition, there will be a 7.3 square km aircraft hangar, 3.3 square km of aircraft apron, vehicle parking, 1.2 square km of office and training/classroom space, as well as an 8-square-meter above-ground aviation fuel tank. thousand gallons.

In this way, TSU and Houston airports will work proactively to address the critical aviation needs the country is experiencing today.

Texas Southern University confirmed that 60,000 airline pilots will be needed by 2035, therefore, the arrival of this academy will be essential to fill those vacancies. Currently, Houston Airports supports TSU aviation students through an internship program.

“The investment in this facility allows Houston to remain at the forefront of supporting the rapid growth of the air transportation industry in the United States. “I am honored that the city of Houston is taking the initiative to build this facility that will provide numerous opportunities for Houstonians in the future,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner.

Since early last year, TSU has expanded its flight training fleet at Ellington Airport with the addition of a new Cessna 172. This gives the university nine aircraft available to help meet growing demand for its program at expansion.

Construction of the academy is expected to begin this coming May, and be completed by May 2025.

2024-01-04 06:41:21
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