- January 28, 2026
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With the ceremonial turn of the shovels, Swiss business jet manufacturer PIlatus Aircraft on Jan. 23 marked the start of construction of Phase 1 of its sales, service and manufacturing facilities at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.
The $60 million, 71,000-square-foot first phase, which will house its sales operations, will take approximately 18 months to complete. By the time the total project is finished, Pilatus CEO Markus Bucher told the groundbreaking audience the investment could reach upwards of $200 million.
Pilatus Aircraft currently assembles all of its planes at its Stans, Switzerland headquarters. Plans are to assemble the company’s PC-24 twin-engine business jet at SRQ once its Phase 2 assembly plant is completed. The base price of a PC-24 just less than $11 million and typically costs upwards of $12 million to $14 million.
“This be the very first time Pilatus is going to build airplanes outside of Switzerland,” Bucher said at the groundbreaking. “We started thinking about a U.S. strategy about three years ago, and very early on we learned that the wealth is moving out of California and into Florida. So Florida, from a Pilatus point of view, is the second most important state where business aviation is happening.”
When the project was announced in August 2024, Pilatus and airport executives said they anticipate the eventual creation of some 350 jobs with an average wage of $80,000 per year. In addition to manufacturing and sales, SRQ will provide a new maintenance base to serve its Western Hemisphere customers.
Pilatus will lease two parcels totaling 17 acres on the “north quadrant” of the airfield just off Tallevast Road for 40 years at $400,000 per year. The site is adjacent to the recently opened fixed-base operator Sheltair.
Gradually expanding its North American footprint, Pilatus now operates sales and maintenance facilities in Broomfield, Colorado; Westminster, Maryland; Rock Hill, South Carolina; and Atlanta, with current employment totaling about 400. The company already operates a PC-12 and PC-24 completion facility in Broomfield. At SRQ, it will create approximately 200 new jobs over the next five years and, according to Bucher, more beyond that.
“Why did we select Sarasota? We said we wanted to be in Florida. That was number one,” Bucher said. “Number two, we wanted to be where no other OEM (original equipment manufacturer) is. Number three, we wanted to have a decent plot of land that we can lease for a long time.”
In addition, more than half of Pilatus’ supply chain for parts and equipment for its manufacturing originates in the U.S. An assembly facility here will provide greater efficiencies than shipping all those supplies to Switzerland.
Initially, Pilatus will assemble the shell of the aircraft here, which will then be flown to other facilities for painting and interior finishing. Bucher hinted some of those operations may also be eventually be located here, in addition to pilot training.
“We're bigger than Piper, we're smaller than Gulfstream, and we believe we serve a market in the U.S. where there is the highest demand in the class of the PC-12 and the PC-24, so that's why we are investing $200 million here,” Bucher said. “We are also looking forward to develop other sites that we have in the U.S.”
Bucher said Pilatus’ presence at SRQ will indirectly support additional employment in Sarasota and Manatee counties as it attracts high-net worth clients from around the world. The area’s resort atmosphere is ideal for lodging, dining and entertainment of its demographic.
“This is a long-term investment that will lead to a production and assembly facility right here at SRQ,” said SRQ President and CEO Paul Hoback. “These are business jets that are going to be made in America and for the American transportation industry. We can't wait to see the impact that you have on this entire region, and we are so proud to welcome you to paradise.”
