North Carolina is cutting a $30 million check to help fuel flyExclusive's next growth spurt, sending state money to a new flight-training center and corporate office at the North Carolina Global TransPark in Kinston while the private-jet operator ramps up its Raleigh footprint. The cash effectively ties the company’s expanding maintenance campus in eastern North Carolina to its emerging corporate presence in the Triangle.
According to the Triangle Business Journal, the appropriation appears in the state budget and signals that lawmakers are willing to throw real money behind aviation training and jobs that hinge on flyExclusive’s continued growth. The outlet cast the move as a strategic bet on a homegrown charter company that has been steadily scaling up both its maintenance operation and its white-collar ranks.
What’s In The Budget
flyExclusive first announced the $30 million state investment in October 2023, saying the funding would help cover a five-story headquarters and training center at the Global TransPark that could house up to five full-motion simulators, classrooms and an air operations center. In a press release carried by Business Wire, CEO Jim Segrave said the investment would bring “hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars to the state and community we love.”
State And Park Records
The North Carolina Global TransPark’s board minutes list a $30,000,000 REDR appropriation “for the Flight Training and Corp Office Building for flyExclusive” in its FY-25 financial materials, confirming the project is included in official park records. The minutes also show that the project is being tracked within the park’s budget and cash flow statements. NC Global TransPark board minutes.
Raleigh Office, Kinston Campus: What’s Changing
Even as the Kinston buildout moves ahead on paper, flyExclusive has been bulking up in the Triangle, leasing space earlier this year at One North Hills in Raleigh to hire additional staff, according to Business Wire. The company has said Kinston will “remain core” to its operations even as the Triangle office grows, and its SEC filing still lists a Kinston headquarters address.
Local Impact And Next Steps
Park officials and local reporting indicate the TransPark will own the new structure and lease it to flyExclusive under a long-term arrangement, with company leaders pegging the total project cost at roughly $35 million to $40 million and flyExclusive responsible for anything above the $30 million state allotment. News & Observer coverage noted that the $30 million appropriation does not include explicit job-creation requirements, a detail that has drawn scrutiny in public discussion of the deal.
Park staff and company executives say lease terms and construction timing still need to be finalized as the Global TransPark continues to juggle other aviation projects on the site. For eastern North Carolina, supporters are pitching the package as a bet on future local jobs and training capacity as the state’s aviation cluster gains altitude. NC Global TransPark board minutes.
