Aviation company expands to Georgetown airport
Southwest Aerospace Technologies — a Georgetown-based aviation services company — has expanded into a new hangar at the Georgetown Executive Airport.
A family business, CEO Kurt Encinias runs the company with his wife and CFO Renee Encinias. Mr. Encinias said the company now touches “every spectrum of aviation” for business jets, with clients including large corporations and wealthy individuals. SWAT sells used airplane parts, has a teardown facility, a repair station and an engine shop.
Mr. Encinias launched Southwest Aerospace Technologies out of a 500-square-foot space not far from the airport in 2019, but the company has rapidly expanded. SWAT now occupies an industrial space on East University Avenue and the new hangar, totaling 65,000 square feet.
A veteran with 35 years of aviation industry experience, Mr. Encinias started the company after working with other firms in the field.
“One of the things I’ve learned about Kurt through this process, is that he figures out what the industry needs and how we can
meet that need,” Ms. Encinias said.
With Austin’s executive airport “bursting at the seams,” the company sees Georgetown as the next spot to take off, from a business sense.
“This is the next place. People like it because it’s quiet and private,” Mr. Encinias said.
SWAT works on jets that range from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of dollars. Clients include private airplane charter companies and business jet owners. In most cases, a quick turnaround is essential. Sometimes, providing a loaner engine allows a plane to remain operational while essential repairs are completed.
“Our customers are typically wealthy, successful business owners and operators with busy schedules and high expectations,” Mr. Encinias said.
Over the past three years, the company has repaired 250 engines. The new hangar allows SWAT to perform more engine work in Georgetown moving forward.
“We have already had our first Global [business jet] fly into the [Georgetown Airport] hangar to be worked on, which is super ex- citing,” Ms. Encinias said.
She said it was an unexpected project for SWAT. Work on the plane was originally scheduled to be done in Canada, but due to tariffs, the client reached out to SWAT to do the work in the U.S. Once here, Ms. Encinias said the
client fell in love with Georgetown, running on local trails and staying at the Sheraton hotel.
“We couldn’t get the plane’s pilots to leave Georgetown,” Mr. Encinias said. “They kept finding [minor, superficial] things
wrong with the plane to keep it here longer.”
He said the company’s goal all along was to facilitate interactions like that.
“This was our dream. We love Georgetown,” he said. “We knew this company would support the economic development here and bring money to the local community and businesses.”
The plane also attracted some attention at the airport.
“This particular plane was so big we couldn’t close the hangar doors at night,” Mr. Encinias said. “We had to hire private security because people were so amazed by the plane.”
SWAT also “tears down” old business jets by purchasing the reusable parts and selling them to other customers. Other parts are inspected, repaired and used on other planes as needed.
“If somebody has an airplane that is more cost-effective to take it apart and sell instead of getting it fixed, then we’ll do a tear down for them.” Ms. Encinias said.
Mr. Encinias said there is a shortage of new aerospace mechanics entering the industry. SWAT is working to establish paid aviation mechanic internships and educational opportunities for students from GISD and Texas State Technical College.
More information about Southwest Aerospace Technologies can be found at southwestaerospace.com.