LIMESTONE, Maine — In a scene reminiscent of Loring Air Force Base’s heyday before it closed in 1994, a sizeable crowd watched as a hulking aircraft approached and landed on the tarmac.

The arrival of a Boeing 777 on Wednesday marked a new era for the runway that once teemed with B-52s and KC-135 tankers. Aero Intelligence , a Kansas City aircraft repair and retrofitting company, has moved into Limestone.

It will be the first regular activity on the runway since maintenance and repair firm Telford Aviation left in 2017. Aero Intelligence will inhabit the massive arch hangar, one of only two like it in the U.S., thereby preserving the historic structure.

The company’s arrival bolsters the Loring Development Authority’s plan to create an aerospace hub and bring new jobs to Aroostook Cou

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