FBOs
WACO Aircraft Shuts Factory, FBO/MRO To Follow
The aircraft maker set up shop at KBTL in 1999
WACO Aircraft facility at KBTL
WACO Aircraft has ceased operations at its production facility in Battle Creek, Michigan. Its FBO/MRO facility will linger on as the parent company winds down its U.S. operations.

General aviation manufacturer WACO Aircraft—owned since 2018 by Germany-based Dimor Group—abruptly announced on Wednesday that it was shutting down its aircraft production facility in Battle Creek, Michigan. WACO’s adjoining FBO/MRO facility, Centennial Aircraft Services, is also winding down its operations.

The company was the spiritual descendant of the original Weaver Aircraft Co. (WACO), which was founded in 1920 and produced open-cockpit biplanes that have since become classics. In 1983, the designs were revived by new ownership, and production of the modernized aircraft began. In 1999, it moved its plant to Battle Creek Executive Airport at Kellogg Field (KBTL). It opened an FBO in 2021.