Mesa Gateway Airport is known for having ultra-low cost airlines. But right next door — on airport land— the world’s priciest private jets are being serviced and spaceships will soon be built.

With two airlines offering non-stop service to nearly 50 cities, Mesa Gateway attracts about 2 million travelers a year, but Executive Director and CEO J. Brian O’Neill said its history and size make it unique among small commercial service airports.

“The 3,000 acres that make up Mesa Gateway Airport used to be part of Williams Air Force Base, and so you had a significant aviation portion with our three 10,000-foot runways and the pilot training that went on,” he said.

There was also a lot of non-aviation land because more than 3,000 people worked on the base. After it closed in 1993, the federal government transferred the land to the Joint Powers Authority to own and operate. Today, the authority includes Mesa, Apache Junction, Gilbert, Queen Creek and the Gila River Indian Community.

O’Neill said the airport has taken off in ways they never imagined.

“If you would’ve asked me five years ago, tell me about the spaceships that would be being built at Mesa Gateway Airport, I would have laughed,” he said.

Now, he smiles thinking about the airport’s role in commercial space travel.

During a November 2024 conference call with investors, Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said spaceships will be assembled at Mesa Gateway Airport starting this year.

“Many of our highly experienced maintenance and technical operations teammates from New Mexico will also be joining the team in Phoenix for the building of our first two ships, after which they will return with the ships to Spaceport America to support flight test and commercial operations,” he said.

Spaceport America is in New Mexico where Virgin Galactic says the ships will launch space tourists beginning next year.

Earlier this month, private jet maker Gulfstream opened a $130 million service center in Mesa–the largest private investment at the airport to date.

“We’ve already grown five full teams, 250-plus employees,” said Derek Zimmerman, Gulfstream’s president of customer support.

He said the company will add another 100 employees this year and credits relationships with local high schools and community colleges resulting in apprenticeship and internship programs.

“The other great strength of this area is with Luke Air Force Base on the west side of town and with Davis-Monthan down in Tucson, we’ve been able to hire a lot of veterans that are transitioning into their civilian service,” Zimmerman said. “Almost half of our population are veterans that are coming out and looking for their next career in commerce and industry.”

It’s not just aviation and aerospace companies renting airport land. Dozens of businesses are drawn to the proximity to Loop 202 and State Route 24, including XNRGY, a Canadian-based company that makes climate systems for data centers.

“On the east side of the airport, there’s a 273-acre master development that’s all non-aeronautical. That’s where XNRGY is located,” O’Neill said.

XNRGY told KJZZ News the company is on track to complete its first phase in April, with employees hired and another 240 positions to fill this year. XNRGY estimates hiring at least 30 more in 2026.

When the airport authority formed more than 30 years ago, its goal was to replace jobs lost after the base closed. To help, the state offers different tax credits that can save companies millions.

Qualifying companies are eligible for various financial incentives that are administered by the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA).

Programs include the Military Reuse Zone Program, which provides qualifying aviation and aerospace companies a transaction privilege tax (sales tax) exemption and allows them to have their property reclassified to a lower tax rate. The Quality Jobs tax credit offers up to $9,000 for each job that meets the Maricopa County median wage, which was listed as $48,630 for 2025 on the ACA’s website.

Based on current project parameters, the ACA said Gulfstream would qualify for $2,295,000 in quality jobs tax credit. Virgin Galactic would qualify for $4,365,000 as part of the quality jobs tax credit and $4,625,888 in qualified facilities tax credit. According to the ACA, XNRGY would qualify for $20 million in qualified facilities tax credit.

In 2021, an Arizona Department of Transportation study found Mesa Gateway’s annual economic impact was $1.8 billion.

“We, as the authority, are going to undertake an economic impact study ourselves, where we can not only kind of qualify and quantify that,” O’Neill said. “But we’ll also ask additional questions, because we have 2,500 people that work on airport and I want to know where they’re coming from, where they live.

With 1,000 acres of land still to be developed, O’Neill thinks the sky’s the limit.