Elliott Aviation will expand its footprint at the Des Moines International Airport with the construction of a new regional headquarters facility.

The Moline, Ill.-based company next month will begin construction of a new general aviation terminal just east of its existing facilities at 2800 McKinley Ave. The $6 million project, to be completed within six months, will include construction of three attached 15,000-square-foot hangars and 3,000 square feet of adjoining office space.

“It will be a premier facility, certainly in Des Moines, and probably one of the nicer facilities in the Midwest,” said Rick Michalski, vice president and general manager of Elliott Aviation, which provides general aviation services such as fueling and repairs at the airport. The new terminal will have seating for about 60 people, compared with about 15 in the current one. “The main thing we’re trying to accomplish is to have new, modern spacious facilities for our customers to use,” he said.

Elliott currently operates three hangars for corporate aircraft, along with a community hangar with a capacity of 15 to 20 planes, plus avionics and maintenance hangars. Space in two of the hangars to be built has already been sold, Michalski said.

The Des Moines City Council is expected to give final approval tonight to issue $6 million in special facility revenue bonds; Elliott will be responsible for paying the interest and principal, plus a fee to the city. The facilities will be deeded over the airport. The company recently signed a new 40-year lease with city.

Elliott Aviation handles between $12 million and $14 million in fuel and maintenance sales annually at the airport, not including aircraft sales. “Obviously, we hope to grow our business with this, but it’s hard to put a number on it at this point,” Michalski said.