Governor Lee, Commissioner Rolfe Announce Spirit Airlines to Relocate Operations Control Center to Williamson County

• Commercial airline to bring nearly 350 jobs, invest more than $11 million
• Operations Control Center will move from Florida to Tennessee
• Spirit Airlines is among top 10 largest commercial airlines in the U.S.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Spirit Airlines officials announced today that the company will relocate its Operations Control Center (OCC) from Miramar, Fla., to Williamson County, Tenn.

The project represents an investment of $11.3 million and will bring 345 jobs to Tennessee over the next five years. Spirit will relocate more than 240 positions to Tennessee and create 100 additional jobs in Williamson County.

Spirit’s OCC serves as the company’s 24/7, mission-critical operations function that directs operational control over all Spirit flights. It includes functions such as flight dispatch, crew scheduling, maintenance control, aircraft routing, air traffic control coordination, guest solutions and more. The facility will contain robust infrastructure to support significant technology and operational reliability.

The OCC move coincides with Spirit’s plan to double its all-Airbus fleet to about 300 aircraft over the next five years. The airline recently finalized an order for the delivery of 100 new Airbus A320neo Family Aircraft through 2027.

Headquartered in South Florida, Spirit is the seventh-largest commercial airline in the U.S. and operates more than 650 flights a day to 77 destinations throughout the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America.

Spirit is America’s fastest-growing airline and recently entered the Nashville market in October 2019 with nonstop flights to Baltimore/Washington, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Orlando and Tampa. Spirit will also begin service from Nashville to Austin, Cancun, Newark and Los Angeles in the coming months, creating more jobs at the Nashville International Airport.

Since 2015, TNECD has supported 30 economic development projects in Williamson County, resulting in approximately 4,100 job commitments and $420 million in capital investment.

QUOTES

“I’d like to welcome Spirit Airlines to Tennessee and thank its team for being one of the latest companies to call our state home. Last year, Tennessee was named the number one best fiscally managed state in the country for the first time, and we are proud to highlight this ranking as we continue to recruit companies from around the globe to do business in the Volunteer State.” –Gov. Bill Lee

“In the past year, we’ve seen an influx of companies choosing to locate new operations in Tennessee, which is a tremendous vote of confidence to our state’s thriving business climate and superior workforce. We are honored that Spirit Airlines has chosen Tennessee as the home of its Operations Control Center and are appreciative of the company’s investment and commitment to bring nearly 350 jobs to Williamson County.” –TNECD Commissioner Bob Rolfe

“Nashville clearly came out on top in a nationwide search due to geographic location, business climate and its growing aviation sector. We look forward to building on our plans for future network expansion and protecting our growing 24/7 operation by starting this new chapter in Nashville. In addition to the OCC, we recently started offering service from Nashville International Airport to six destinations, plus four more on the way.” –Ted Christie, President and CEO of Spirit Airlines

“TVA congratulates Spirit Airlines on its decision to locate in Nashville and create hundreds of new job opportunities. Attracting and retaining quality jobs and investment in our communities is fundamental to TVA’s mission of service, and we are proud to work with our partners to help further that mission and support Spirit’s success in the Valley.” –John Bradley, TVA senior vice president of Economic Development

“Spirit Airlines is part of the BNA family, and we are thrilled that the company has chosen to extend its presence into Middle Tennessee. It was a pleasure to be a part of the recruitment process, and we look forward to growing our partnership and air service with the Spirit team as they set up their new operations.” –Doug Kreulen, President and CEO of Nashville International Airport

“This is great news. The new control center will provide high-quality job opportunities and contribute to the strong economic base of our local economy. I congratulate Spirit Airlines for choosing Williamson County and for investing in our vibrant communities, and appreciate all the work done by Governor Lee, Commissioner Rolfe and our local leaders to secure these jobs. We will continue to make job creation a high priority.” –Senate Republican Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin)

“I appreciate Spirit Airlines’ investment in our community. Congratulations to our local leaders for securing this sizeable job commitment. I will continue to partner with them, our Department of Economic and Community Development, and Governor Lee to bring more jobs to Tennessee.” –Republican Caucus Vice-Chairman Brandon Ogles (R-Franklin)

TNECD Media Contact
Jennifer McEachern, Communications Director
(615) 336-2689
jennifer.mceachern@tn.gov

Spirit Airlines Media Contact
Media_Relations@spirit.com
(954) 364-0231

About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies that help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. To grow and strengthen Tennessee, the department seeks to attract new corporate investment to the state and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Find us on the web: tnecd.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @tnecd. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/tnecd.