Pop stars, heads of state and Fortune 500 companies will have another reason to look to San Antonio now that Singapore-based ST Aerospace has opened an affiliate dedicated to customized, interior renovations of VIP-style aircraft.

Need an extra bedroom or media center for your wide-body jet? Aeria Luxury Interiors, the new company ST Aerospace started, can do that. Dining rooms, lounges and medically equipped transport capabilities also are among the upgrades Aeria can offer select customers.

It's high-end, luxury interiors, said Ron Soret, general manager of completions at Aeria, and the lead manager of the team pulling the company together.

Our clientele have not been as affected by the downturn in the market as other sectors have been, he said. I think this is going to be a very successful venture for (ST Aerospace).

Gore Design Completions is another San Antonio company that has established itself in the market for high-end aircraft interior refurbishments. Thomas Moore, chairman of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce's aerospace committee, said the market has been red hot for Gore Design, and he believes it will create strong opportunities for Aeria as well.

Aeria already is in operation on a limited basis at a 100,000-square-foot hangar. The hangar is still under renovations to make it ready for the company to operate at full speed.

Soret said one small interior refurbishment job already has been completed using employees from ST Aerospace San Antonio, the repair and maintenance affiliate of ST Aerospace.

Bids are out on four other projects, and Aeria expects to learn within a few weeks whether any were accepted.

At full capacity, the company could handle up to five renovations a year and employ about 300 people, Soret said. It expects its hangar to be completed by the end of September and will add employees as contracts are signed.

Aeria's hangar once was part of Dee Howard Aircraft Maintenance, an aerospace firm that filed for bankruptcy protection in 2002 and became part of ST Aerospace a year later. Interior aircraft renovations were part of its mission, and its demise left a pool of talent that ST Aerospace and other aerospace companies have utilized.

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ST Aerospace adds luxury interior unit