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Terrell, Texas, a booming suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, has a rich aerospace history.
What started as an airfield called No. 1 British Flying Training in 1941 — built to help British flight cadets train during World War II — became Terrell Municipal Airport in 1947.
As the airport approaches 85 years, Terrell has recently accelerated efforts to expand the airfield and leverage the adjacent Airport Business Park to capture this massive economic moment.
A key driver of this growth is Terrell Economic Development Corp., a government agency designed to attract new businesses and retain talent. Terrell EDC President Carlton Tidwell said that while the city has been primarily known as a commercial hub, it plans to capitalize on its aviation heritage with the airport.
“Terrell Municipal Airport provides executives and pilots convenient access to the Dallas market while offering the amenities and service they expect,” he said. “As growth continues moving east, Terrell is well-positioned to capture new opportunities, and the airport helps us attract a broader range of businesses and investment.”
Building The Talent Pipeline
One initiative driving the airport expansion is the Texas Aircraft Service Center, or TASC, a specialized aviation maintenance and airport repair facility, which opened on National Aviation Day on Aug. 19.
“The Texas Aircraft Service Center is helping build a local pipeline of aviation talent by training mechanics, technicians and instructors,” Tidwell said. “This workforce development effort makes Terrell more attractive to aviation businesses while creating valuable career opportunities for residents. Their partnership with Terrell ISD, including scholarship opportunities, is an important part of that strategy.”
Peter Wenham, executive director at the East Texas Flying Service, which is the flight school component of this facility, spoke at the ribbon-cutting. He emphasized that resources available at the rapidly growing airport should be leveraged for immediate momentum rather than waiting for developments down the line.
Wenham’s vision of “helping people right now” is already being applied to the next generation of pilots, serving as a catalyst for a strong partnership with the city of Terrell.
“Our first goal was, ‘Hey, we want to build,’ but that turned into a three-year process to have a facility we actually need here,” he said. “So we looked at how to establish a presence to start supporting people immediately, and that’s why we’re in this building today.”
This service center will provide a variety of jobs for local plane mechanics while offering students the opportunity to learn technical skills in a friendly and safe environment, Wenham said.
Alongside the TASC will be a flight college that will give students interested in avionics more hands-on exposure. Through collaboration with Terrell ISD, active scholarship opportunities are helping local students access aviation training and launch careers in a high-demand industry.
Attracting Global Industry Leaders
Terrell Municipal Airport is already seeing strong interest from out-of-state aviation service providers, like Orange County-based ECG Aerospace Systems. The firm has been providing customized finishing for aerospace, aircraft interiors, defense and medical equipment manufacturing for more than three decades, serving major corporations like SpaceX, Safran, Boeing and Alcon.
While the company had been approached several times to expand in other U.S. cities, ECG CEO Sandra Ceron said it originally had no intention of moving its operational footprint outside of California. The city of Terrell scouted the company because of its expertise in the aerospace field, and ECG found that Terrell’s warm, family-oriented approach aligned with the company's values. Ceron said she was impressed from the initial call to her first facility visit, which led ECG to purchase the industrial space next to the airport in October 2025.
“In just the first 10 steps into the facility, I felt it in my heart that we were ready to go all in,” she said. “We were very impressed with the three-day itinerary they had scheduled for us. Fast-forward to now, we’ve been tenants for a year and have a whole architectural plan to renovate the facility.”
ECG is modernizing nearly 40K SF of space in Phase 1, and in Phase 2, it will expand to 70K SF, which will include aircraft exterior finishing. The company is utilizing a blend of its California team and a newly hired Dallas workforce to bring quality manufacturing jobs to Terrell.
The firm is also exploring a partnership with Trinity Valley Community College to develop training programs tailored to the technical skills its roles require.
“It’s still early in those conversations, but local workforce development is a priority for us as we grow here,” Ceron said. “We see partnering with and developing the students at TVCC as an important component of our future business operations.”
ECG’s investment represents an important step in diversifying Terrell’s economic base, bringing specialized production, quality control and technical management roles to the community. This creates higher-wage jobs while strengthening Terrell’s connection to critical aerospace, medical and defense supply chains, Ceron added.
Upgrading Airport Infrastructure
This influx of business directly aligns with Terrell’s broader infrastructure plan. Some upcoming improvements by Apex Aero Center include a 3K SF hangar and a 12K SF community hangar for aircraft storage and aviation operations.
The facility will also feature a new 24,000-gallon fuel farm, consisting of two 12,000-gallon tanks, to increase fuel capacity and support increasing aircraft activity. Recently installed new runway electrical lighting and solar-powered taxiway lighting further improve safety, reliability and operational capabilities, said Chris Snapp, city engineer and director of municipal development at Terrell EDC.
Outside of ECG, the airport is attracting a diverse mix of corporate and emergency aviation users. CareFlite’s jet helicopter is now stationed at the airport, establishing an emergency medical service base on-site, while Madix Inc. uses the airport for its corporate jet to support company logistics and executive travel.
Another investment on the horizon is a partnership between Terrell EDC and the city for a $1.6M renovation of an existing 12K SF hangar and attached offices that will modernize the airport’s infrastructure, with the hope of unlocking new opportunities to attract private investment, Tidwell said.
Tidwell remains optimistic about the runway ahead, believing this is just the beginning of Terrell’s aviation ecosystem.
“We are still in the early stages of building this aviation ecosystem, but the momentum is strong,” he said. “As the airport continues to grow, we expect to attract more aviation, technology and advanced manufacturing companies, creating higher-skilled jobs and increased wages. Ultimately, this growth will strengthen the local economy and provide long-term opportunities for Terrell and the surrounding region.”
This article was produced in collaboration between the Terrell Economic Development Corp. and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.
Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.
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