BY TERRY FLYNN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A rendering of Comair's planned five-level office building.
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HEBRON - Comair gave planners and officials at Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky International Airport the first hint Friday of what the new general office building will look like in the airline's hub expansion.
An artist's rendering depicts a five-level structure with swooping roof lines and lots of glass, to be built on land near the present administration building at the south end of the airport. Comair spokesperson Meghan Glynn said the new center will consolidate airline operations that are now carried out at seven different locations on and off airport property.
"We'll have all administration offices, some customer service and a number of other functions under one roof, with almost three times the space we now have." she said.
Ms. Glynn said Comair wants to start on the project as soon as possible, but details on precise locations, land leases and other factors still have to be worked out.
Last summer, Comair announced plans to spend about $25 million to expand its operations here, including new offices and a new, larger maintainance hangar.
The move is expected to create an additional 900 jobs over the next 10 years. The commonwealth of Kentucky has agreed to cap the sales tax on jet fuel Comair buys in Kentucky at $1 million a year as an incentive.
In addition to the new office building, Comair will build the new maintainance hangar adjacent to the present office building and hangar.
The current 38,000-square-foot office building will become a training facility, and the hangar, at 45,000 square feet, is tentatively planned as additional office space, according to Ms. Glynn.
She said Comair also may move its flight simulator, operated by a company called Flight Safety, from its present location off Interstate 275 near Mineola Pike to airport property in the same general area as the new office building.
Bill Martin, the airport's development director, said Friday following a planning and development committee meeting that his department is just beginning to look at Comair's plans.
"We're looking at some sketches of what they (Comair) are planning to do and where the structures might be built," Mr. Martin said. "Everything is very preliminary at this point. We haven't even begun negotiations with Comair yet."