Cirrus Aircraft is to develop an Innovation Centre at its headquarters at the Duluth International airport in Minnesota following its recent acquisition of the former Northwest Airlines Corp facility, more recently occupied by AAR Corp.

Cirrus Aircraft will invest heavily to transform the 189,000 sq ft building on 39 acres into an Innovation Centre where engineers will develop the next generation of Cirrus Aircraft. It will feature amenities and flexible workspaces that enhance the working environment as people return to the office, to provide an optimal collaborative workspace and break from the traditional office and lab environment.

“Doubling down with a massive facility such as this underscores our relentless pursuit of the continuous innovation that makes owning and operating a Cirrus safe, convenient and easy,” says CEO Zean Nielsen. “We are a company of big ideas, such as putting a parachute on every Cirrus Aircraft, designing and building a single engine jet, introducing Safe Return Autoland, rolling out Cirrus IQ connectivity and offering a 360 degree ecosystem around the customer. This investment solidifies Cirrus Aircraft's commitment to continuous innovation. We want talent to think of Cirrus Aircraft, Duluth, and now the new Innovation Centre, as a special place where the latest and greatest general aviation technologies come to life. The Innovation Centre is designed to become the epicentre for personal aviation engineering and to attract top talent from around the world.”

“Duluth and Cirrus Aircraft have a long and important history of being great to, and for, one another, and the site of the Innovation Centre is no different,” adds Duluth mayor Emily Larson. “For Cirrus Aircraft to expand its footprint in its hometown of Duluth means the world to us because it further elevates Duluth throughout the world of aviation. We are thrilled to support innovation while repurposing this asset. We are eager to decrease public liability while exponentially growing the aviation economy, and we are one hundred per cent committed to Cirrus Aircraft's vision as being central to our own vision of economic development within the City of Duluth.”

“From the founding days of Cirrus Aircraft in the basement of a Wisconsin barn to the new Innovation Centre, the company has maintained a rich culture of innovation that has changed personal aviation,” says president of innovation and operations Pat Waddick. “This investment in a world-class facility brings together our engineering, flight test, experimental, advanced design and development, and other key product development areas. We are excited about how our investments in facilities, people and programmes will lead to changing the world, again.”