An agricultural aircraft manufacturer has announced plans to locate its headquarters and assembly operations at Newton Airport.

Weatherly Aircraft Company designs and builds aerial application planes for small grain farming. The company plans to add about 109 jobs in the next five years and over $1 million in capital investment.

The company will be manufacturing its 620-B model plane at the Newton facility, with its primary customers located in Russia and Kazakhstan.

Weatherly will be leasing 26,000 square feet of hangar and office space from the airport for a five-year term, with a lease rate starting at $5,720 per month and increasing 3 percent each year.

The Newton City Commission and Harvey County Commission approved the lease agreement at a special joint meeting Thursday. Weatherly will take possession in February and be operational in March.

The project represents a strong collaborative effort by Harvey County Economic Development, the Greater Wichita Partnership, the City of Newton and the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Weatherly Aircraft Company was founded in 1961 and has been based in McClellan, California.