AVEX plans a larger maintenance operation at Acadiana Regional Airport

Aviation Exteriors’ planned expansion at Acadiana Regional Airport would add a three-bay maintenance hangar to an existing aircraft repair and painting business. Louisiana Economic Development’s June 8, 2026 announcement described a development exceeding $74 million, led by the Iberia Parish Airport Authority.

The authority would construct and own the 132,290-square-foot hangar and related improvements; Aviation Exteriors Louisiana, or AVEX, would lease it. LED said the new space would accommodate Boeing 767-size aircraft, with offices, shops, warehousing and training facilities alongside the maintenance bays.

LED reported that site preparation had begun and set an expected completion date in the fourth quarter of 2027. Its employment figures were prospective: 249 new direct jobs, with 183 existing positions retained. The department’s separate estimate of 596 indirect jobs referred to potential work beyond the company.

According to the same June announcement, a $10 million state FastSites investment supports airport infrastructure. LED said the agreement schedules repayment of that investment by August 1, 2034.

AVEX’s website, checked September 15, 2026, helps explain the business behind the expansion. The company describes its progression from exterior aircraft painting into maintenance, repairs and conversions. Its advertised services include heavy maintenance, cargo conversions and modifications, and painting—work on existing aircraft rather than airline passenger service.

The company currently lists three hangars, with advertised capacities for 747, MD-11 and 757 aircraft. That existing operation provides context for the proposed additional facility. The June construction schedule concerns a new hangar at the airport, not the start of aviation work in New Iberia.