Construction crews have broken ground on a new aircraft apron and hangar at Akron-Canton Airport, a $6.7 million project taking shape on the airport's west side in Green, Summit County. The build is meant to give aviation companies more room to operate and carve out space for educational programs on the airfield.
Work has started at the Akron-Canton Airport for the new apron and hangar, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. CAK President and CEO Ren Camacho framed Monday's groundbreaking as a long-term bet on the region, saying the project represents an investment in the future of CAK and Northeast Ohio. Camacho also thanked the public and private partners who helped make the project possible, per the same report.
Just how many jobs the project will generate depends on which outlet you read. The Beacon Journal reports the project could create as many as 50 jobs, while The Canton Repository reports it is expected to support more than 50 new, full-time jobs. The Repository separately notes the effort is expected to help attract up to $20 million in private investment, and the outlet reported the airport announced the groundbreaking on Nov. 2.
Where the Money Is Coming From
The project draws on a patchwork of public and private funding sources, the Beacon Journal's breakdown shows. The Ohio Department of Transportation is listed as contributing $250,000 to the project, while the city of Green and Aqua Ohio are putting in $415,000 for a waterline extension. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is contributing $2 million earmarked for environmental work and the hangar itself, and the state of Ohio's One-Time Strategic Fund is kicking in $3.2 million specifically for the apron.
The Timken Foundation's share of the funding is listed for an education facility tied to the new hangar, though the exact figure differs slightly between outlets: the Beacon Journal lists it as $867,364.56, while the Canton Repository lists it as $867,365. Either way, the money is earmarked to help build out classroom and training space inside the new structure, which will include room for educational programs alongside the hangar bays.
A Years-Long Push for More Hangar Space
This isn't the first time CAK has flagged a hangar shortage as a problem. In an earlier announcement, the airport said there was no available hangar space on the airfield at the time, which it said limited its ability to grow aeronautical activity and revenue, according to Akron-Canton Airport. Back in January 2024, the Beacon Journal reported that a $2 million ODNR grant was expected to help fund a new hangar in 2024 or 2025, with the planned structure anticipated to measure 10,000 to 12,000 square feet once completed.
More recently, in July 2025, ODOT awarded a $250,000 grant for a hangar access road at the airport, part of a round of grants for two local infrastructure projects, according to cleveland.com. That grant was tied to a separate $30 million West Side Hangar Development project calling for a 12,000-square-foot hangar, with plans to extend West Airport Drive for connectivity to several tenants.
There's also a longer backstory of hangar proposals at CAK. Back in 2023, Stark Airways submitted plans for a 56,000-square-foot hangar at the airport that would have included offices, a hangar bay, and storage space along West Airport Drive, the Beacon Journal reported at the time. The Planning and Zoning Commission conditionally approved that proposal pending a signed agreement with the airport, though the evidence doesn't confirm whether that project is connected to the one now breaking ground.
