University of North Dakota Breaks Ground on New Flight Operations Building

The replacement facility is badly needed, as the current building is over 50 years old.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (KVRR) – The UND Aerospace program is considered one of the best in the nation.

As of late, though, it’s become clear that the place in which they operate has not kept pace with their accomplishments.

“It was time – absolutely time – to make sure that we build a facility that would allow us to do our flight operations and our dispatch in a premier manner,” said university President Andy Armacost.

“We’re excited to make this happen, and it was right at the top of our priority list.”

The new Flight Operations building costs about $36 million, comprises 28,000 square feet at Grand Forks International Airport, and is set to revolutionize the educational experience in the department.

School officials made sure to thank their donors during the groundbreaking ceremony, saying they couldn’t have secured the funding for this facility without generous contributions.

“Oh, it’s great to have family and friends and alumni that want to be a part of this,” said the Dean of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, Robert Kraus.

Construction on the new building is expected to begin in June and school officials hope it’s fully operational by January of 2027.