LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – UPS plans to add 1,000 jobs in Louisville over the next 15 years by growing its Worldport global air hub, including adding a hangar that can fit two 747-8F aircraft, the largest in the UPS Airlines fleet, according to the company and state documents.
Kentucky officially offered UPS $40 million in economic development incentives on Thursday associated with the hangar projects and other “enhancement projects to the airport and surrounding area” which were not specified in documents approved by the state’s Economic Development Finance Authority.
In a statement, UPS said it envisions a “series of construction projects around Worldport that could reach $750 million” in the next 15 years, including the new hangar.
The other projects could include air ramp and taxiway improvements, renovated office buildings, training facility expansions and new operations offices at Worldport, according to the company.
“With Next Day Air volume growing rapidly in the industry; UPS winning a larger share of this expanding market; and healthcare, ecommerce and small business customers demanding faster times around the globe, UPS Airlines is growing its air network, including its support structure at its home base in Louisville,” the company said in a statement.
Construction of the hangar will begin in 2020 on leased land at the north end of the west runway of Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, according to the company.
The new jobs will pay an average hourly of $70, a figure that includes the value of employee benefits such as health insurance coverage, according to KEDFA documents.
The state documentation doesn’t spell out what types of jobs will be added. UPS said “pilots, aircraft mechanics, and support staff” will be among the new hires.
UPS package handlers start at $14 an hour (a figure that does not include the additional value of benefits). Pilots, mechanics and flight dispatchers earn six-figure paychecks.
The jobs would have to come within seven years – not 15 – for UPS to get the full $40 million promised by the state, according to the documents.
UPS employs about 20,000 between fulltime and part-time roles – including package handlers, drivers, pilots, mechanics and corporate – in Louisville and southern Indiana.
For purposes of the state incentives, the company’s fulltime, Kentucky resident employment in Louisville was reported to be 6,436.
UPS is expected to share more details at a press event next week that will likely include Gov. Matt Bevin, who has made economic development announcements a key plank of his re-election campaign.
