Otto Aerospace, the Texas-based aircraft manufacturer that plans to move to Jacksonville, has released renderings of its planned Cecil Airport campus.
Jacksonville Aviation Authority staff presented renderings of two new buildings and three hangars at the May 27 JAA board meeting.
“We received some phenomenal new drawings from Otto Aerospace, our newest tenant and major employer at Cecil, showing the campus they expect to build the next few years,” JAA CEO Mark VanLoh said.
“This campus is not only where they’re going to assemble the aircraft, but it’s also a showroom, so you can come in and pick out your interior layout of the jet you’re buying.”
Otto is developing a business jet, the Phantom 3500, that completed preliminary design review in February. The aircraft features a laminar flow design, with a fuselage shaped somewhat like a football. The company says the design reduces drag by 35% and fuel usage by more than 60% compared with traditional business jets.
Otto says it expects the first flight of the jet in 2027.
At the campus, the city is reviewing a permit application for a $12.1 million renovation of a hangar for research and development. Balfour Beatty Construction LLC is the contractor for the conversion of Hangar 825 at 6105 Flightline Road in West Jacksonville. The JAA owns the property.
A March 23 city permit allowed the contractor to move ahead with interior demolition of 59,130 square feet of space at a project cost of $500,000.
Otto has said it would build more than 600,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space by Jan. 1, 2032. Plans called for creation of at least 400 jobs at an average $90,000 salary by the end of 2031, with possible expansions that would increase the workforce to 1,200 by 2040.
The company said its total capital investment in Jacksonville would be $430 million.
In May 2025, the JAA board approved an incentives package for Otto that comprised:
• A $22.5 million investment by JAA for site preparation and design/construction to extend taxiway E-1 to the property where Otto plans to build its facility.
• Abatements on rent and common area maintenance fees on Hangar 825, worth $3.73 million.
• Rent credits on Hangar 825, worth $1.5 million.
In June 2025, Jacksonville City Council approved a $20 million incentive package for the aircraft company. The 18-0 vote constituted final action on a 20-year, 75% Recapture Enhanced Value Grant. A REV grant is a refund on ad valorem tax revenue generated by a new development or property enhancement.
On May 4, Otto announced the appointment of Scott Drennan as CEO, succeeding company founder Paul Touw.