Machjet International’s $20m plan for Sunshine Coast Airport hangars

A $20m expansion to a Sunshine Coast aviation business will offer exclusive hangar space and a private five-star passenger lounge to large business jets that are increasingly visiting the region’s airport.

A Sunshine Coast business will build a $9m hangar as part of a $20m investment to offer large aircraft hangar space, in an Australian-first expansion expected to create about 70 jobs.

Machjet International and its affiliate business McDermott Aviation are one of the largest privately owned aviation companies in Australia and the business had nowhere to store some of its aircraft at the Sunshine Coast Airport.

Machjet International managing director Simon McDermott said his business was not the only one with the issue.

“With the current growth on the Sunshine Coast we have seen an increase in the number of large business jets that require both ground handling, hangarage and the privacy of using a private passenger lounge when transiting through Sunshine Coast Airport,” he said.

Mr McDermott said the airport was only a few kilometres from the sea, and corrosion issues that came with the salt-laden environment made it even more important that Machjet aircraft, and other business’ aircraft, were properly hangared.

Machjet International managing director Simon McDermott with wife Abbie McDermott outside a Machjet International plane currently with no hangar at the Sunshine Coast Airport. Picture: Patrick Woods.

The Sunshine Coast business, with bases north of Cooroy and at the airport, has locked in a 50-year lease over 9000sq m of airport land.

One of three hangars Machjet International plans to build on the airport land is a 5500sq m shed that will store up to 19 aircraft.

Machjet International managing director Simon McDermott is planning a $20m. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Mr McDermott said the aim was to store its own machines and offer hangarage to other larger business aircraft that visited the Sunshine Coast.

“Currently there is no availability for hangarage for large corporate jets anywhere, really, in Australia,” he said.

Mr McDermott said following the hangar’s construction about 70 aviation jobs, including 10 pilot positions and “60-odd” aircraft engineering positions would become available.

A private five-star passenger lounge, with catering, would also become available for businesses that used the hangar space.

Machjet International plans to build a $9m hangar at the Sunshine Coast Airport and also offer large business aircraft a private five-star passenger lounge.

The business is aiming to complete the first hangar, worth about $9m, by mid-2024 as part of a $20m investment on the airport land.

“On this land we’ve got the capabilities of having another three sheds, so we’ll get the first stage underway and I’m sure there’ll be no doubt that we’ll fill that very quickly and there’s room for growth again,” Mr McDermott said.

The business also aims to move an engineering school to the site.

“Our aviation group is the largest employee of aviation apprentices in Australia,” he said.

“That’s outweighing all of the airlines and so forth, so we are a big part of the aviation puzzle here in Australia.

“We’d like to continue that.”