Just as Beijing and Shanghai have substantial FBOs, so to soon will Guangzhou, another of China’s major cities. Yitong Business Aviation Service Co. Ltd of GAA (Guangdong Airport Authority), a state-owned aircraft ground handling company based in Guangdong Province, will begin construction next month on a new RMB426 million ($62 million) FBO complex at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

Yitong (Booth P432) was established in 2014 and also provides ground support services in Huizhou, Jieyang and Meizhou. Its goal is to become a world-class, comprehensive business aircraft service provider and the market leader in China.

The Guangzhou facility will represent its first FBO, the initial phase of which is expected to be completed in 2017. Current plans call for a 5,000-sq-m (53,000-sq-ft) Western-style passenger terminal, the biggest in China, with all the expected amenities and services such as on-site customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ), slot and landing permit service, aircraft cleaning, fueling, VIP lounges and shuttle service inside or outside the airport, along with a 20,000-sq-m (215,000-sq-ft) hangar capable of accommodating ultra-long-range business jets. A second phase will add another hangar for maintenance, for a total footprint of 420,000-sq-m (100 acres).

According to Kenneth Chan, manager of Yitong’s strategy and marketing department, the move looks to address future business aviation expansion in the region, as Guangzhou is the third-busiest airport in China.

Precision Air has taken over general aviation support at South Carolina’s Florence Regional Airport. The company, which also operates an FBO at nearby Santee Cooper Airport, was awarded a 15-year lease by the Pee Dee Regional Airport Authority, which had previously managed the facility. Under the terms of the lease contract, Precision Air will construct a new fuel farm, and it will soon embark on a renovation of the facility’s 2,500-sq-ft terminal, which will include a lobby area, conference room and flight planning room along with a pilots’ lounge.

The facility, the latest to join the Shell FBO network, will participate in the Shell AeroClass rewards and Shell Contract Fuel programs.

The location also provides maintenance and aircraft cleaning services. Normal operation hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. with after-hours callout available,.

African flight-support provider Astra Aviation has expanded its footprint to include a new location at Zimbabwe’s Harare International Airport. According to the ground handling company, the airport is a popular hub for air and road transfers to many regional destinations in addition to being an import/export center for Zimbabwe. Astra will provide concierge style “meet and assist” services for arriving aircraft and passengers staying at the area’s popular game lodges and resorts. Through its partnership with Southern Skies Aviation the provider can offer nearly 30,000 sq ft of hangar space, along with private ramp parking.

The office, which became operational earlier this year, is the company’s ninth on the continent, from Angola on the Atlantic Ocean to Mozambique on the Indian Ocean. Astra is pursuing a strategy of positioning itself close to popular tourist attractions such as Victoria Falls, as Africa prepares to develop the world’s fastest growing travel and tourism market.

L&L Aviation, which won the RFP process to become the lone FBO at Nebraska’s Sidney Municipal Airport last year, has completed its new terminal after a six-month construction project. The approximately $1.2 million, 2,500-sq-ft facility features a passenger lounge, 12-seat A/V-equipped conference room, pilots’ lounge with snooze room and shower facility, flight planning, courtesy car, and rental cars can be delivered to the facility. The 6,400-sq-ft heated hangar can accommodate aircraft up to midsize business jets.

L&L aviation also manages the airport and provides piston aircraft maintenance, The Avfuel-branded facility specializes in quick turns in 30 minutes or less, to take advantage of gthe airport’s central U.S. location and its new 6,600 foot runway.

Middle-East-headquartered flight support network UAS International Trip Support has launched a new awards program to honor excellent service by ground handlers and fuel suppliers. The awards are based on the evaluations of UAS’s trip support specialists, with additional input from customers.

UAS’s top performing handlers in 2015 include Brazil-based Lider Aviation (for the Americas), Entebbe Handling Service in Uganda (Africa), Japan-based IASS (Asia Pacific and the Indian subcontinent), Aviapartner (Russia, the CIS and Europe) and Execujet Aviation (Middle East). Meanwhile, UAS’s top fuel suppliers in 2015 were Emarat Misr Petroleum Products (Africa), Maldives Airports Co. (Asia Pacific), ExxonMobil (Europe) and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Middle East). 

“Our clients' ability to trust us is supported by our hand-picked international network of outstanding vendors who work continuously on our behalf and for our benefit so we can supply the best service available, everywhere in the world,” said Omar Hosari, UAS co-founder and CEO. “We feel it’s vital to recognize outstanding performance and this is why we are launching the Handler and Fuel Supplier of the Year Awards.”

Atlantic Aviation this week held the grand opening of its new corporate aircraft hangar at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The $9 million project, which took a year to complete, represents the first such structure at the Southern California gateway. “This hangar fills an obvious need in the Los Angeles and surrounding area and was sold out three years before completion,” said Steve Hirschfeld, the FBO chain’s regional vice president of operations.

With a 28-foot-high door, the 37,000-sq-ft hangar can accommodate aircraft up to Gulfstream 650 or Bombardier Global and can easily shelter five such ultra-long-range jets simultaneously.

Atlantic has operated an FBO at LAX for more than a decade. It acquired the location in 2004 as part of its purchase of 19 FBOs that made up the Mercury Air Centers chain.

Gama Aviation is the latest aviation services provider to achieve certification under the International Business Aviation Council’s (IBAC) International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO). The UK-based company received the approval for its operation in Sharjah, UAE. This follows last month’s announcement that the location was the first FBO in the Middle East to receive International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) accreditation, thus making it one of the few worldwide to receive both certifications.

“The implementation of the [IS-BAO] was the next step in the development of our regional safety, quality and operations management structures, which have been in place since the award of our UAE air operating certificate in 2010,” said Richard Lineveldt, the location’s general manager. “This verifies that our operation, and in particular the safety management system, was already functioning at an optimal level and has also provided valuable insight into areas where we can strive for further performance improvement.”

Earlier this year the company received approval to expand its operation at Sharjah International Airport with the construction of a new FBO.

In the span of a dozen years, Nebraska-based Trego-Dugan Aviation has gone from a company of 12 employees, most of whom were related, to nearly 500, a move company president Vincent Dugan credits largely to its purchase of the FBO at Central Nebraska Regional Airport (GRI). While the aviation service provider had operated a facility at North Platte Regional Airport, 100 miles away, for nearly 50 years, things really took off for the company after it acquired its second location in 2003.

After three years of successful operations at GRI, Trego-Dugan was approached by the Hall County Airport Authority, which inquired if the company would be interested in taking on airline ground handling at the airport. “We said we’ve handled aircraft like this, but we haven’t done the above-the-wing stuff, the ticketing and the gate,” said Dugan, an aviation attorney who also serves as the company’s general counsel. “We said, ‘Give us some computers and some training, and we’ll figure it out,’ and we did.”

Today the company performs those tasks at 22 locations across the country from Spokane, Wash., to Richmond, Va. “There are a lot of things that we just caught right,” Dugan told AIN. “Grand Island has been expanding massively, and we got into this airline ground handling. All this happened because we purchased Grand Island. It’s really been a watershed event for us.”

Tech Stop Gets Updated Facility

Building on that success, the company unveiled a brand-new $1.5 million FBO facility at the airport last year. “My wife, Traci [v-p of flight operations and daughter of company founder Gary Trego], designed everything and that’s also probably why it was over budget,” quipped Dugan, adding it was his wife’s experience as a multiple-aircraft rated charter pilot that enabled her to create a pilot-friendly facility. Its 3,000-sq-ft terminal provides a Starbucks coffee bar, plush pilots’ lounge, flight-planning room and an A/V-equipped 12-seat conference room overlooking the ramp. Its modern bathrooms have baby changing stations and, according to Dugan, “those really cool hand dryers that sound like Pratt & Whitney made the engine for them.”

One feature absent in the new facility is a snooze room, given that the location’s primary traffic consists of quick-turns, and as reminder of that, the company retained and refurbished “Rocket Bob,” a towering wooden sculpture of a cowboy riding a Learjet that has become something of a landmark and perennial photo op at the airport during his three decades in existence. “Traditionally Grand Island has been one of the main stops crossing the country for mid-continent refueling, and I think that Rocket Bob is a nod to our history,” noted Dugan. “No matter how you slice it and dice it, with jets crossing the country, a lot of them have to stop once, and we’re right in the middle with a long runway, ILS and a lot of jet fuel.” Yet, he added, given Grand Island’s recent growth, destination traffic is also on the rise, with visitors hailing from the fields of agriculture and farm implement manufacturing.

The Phillips 66-branded facility has a tank farm with capacity for 30,000 gallons of jet-A and 15,000 gallons of avgas. It is served by a quartet of tankers: a pair of 3,000-gallon refuelers on the jet side, and 1,500- and 1,200-gallon avgas trucks, manned by the company’s NATA Safety 1^st-trained line staff. Combined with its airliner fueling duties, the company pumps 1.6 million gallons of fuel annually. “Grand Island is the type of airport where one FBO can prosper, but two can’t make it,” said Dugan. “It’s just not big enough.” According to the FAA, the airport sees 70 operations a day on average, 40 percent of them transient general aviation.

Trego-Dugan Grand Island has a staff of 35 and is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. year round, with after-hours callout available. In the winter months, the company offers both Type I and Type IV de-icing from its own trucks.

The 15-acre location has 120,000 sq ft of heated hangar space, which can accommodate anything short of a BBJ, and is home to a Learjet 40, a Citation II and four turboprops, ranging from a King Air 200 to a Piper Meridian. In the mid-1990s the family-owned company added aircraft management services and began charter operations in 2005. Its Argus Platinum-rated fleet today consists of a Learjet 45, Citation Bravo, Citation V and (its latest addition) a Citation II.

Trego-Dugan also operates a Part 145 repair station with 24-hour emergency service, serving Beechjets, most Cessna Citations and Caravans, the Learjet 40 and 45, all King Airs, all Piper models and Cirrus aircraft. It is an authorized Cessna single-engine service station. Its FAA-approved avionics repair station, situated in a 9,000-sq-ft hangar, has an onsite test, overhaul and repair department with an expansive parts inventory.

The company recently received an STC from the FAA for an ADS-B solution for more than 450 piston aircraft, consisting of a Garmin GTX 330 mode-S transponder and a Free Flight 1201 GPS receiver. It is anticipating approval for a similar system featuring an Avidyne transponder, and expects to add business jets such as legacy Citations to its authorization. Given the number of aircraft that will require the installation by the FAA’s end-of-2019 deadline and the potential installation backlog it will create, Dugan is contemplating expanding the company’s avionics service to more locations, primarily those where it already has a ground-handling presence.

While business aviation usage in North America continues to creep up and some domestic service providers report business approaching or even exceeding 2007 levels over the past year, that hasn’t held true for the rest of the world, for a variety of reasons.

According to FAA statistics, while U.S.-registered business jet operations grew by just over 1 percent between 2014 and 2015, that improvement came entirely at the expense of international operations. In 2014 the industry recorded a year-over-year rise of 4.57 percent in international flights at a total of 708,872, but that number fell by 3.31 percent last year, to 685,398.

“The traffic out of North America has been down a little bit in terms of legs flown, and I think that’s really reflecting what’s been going on in the U.S. and global economies,” said Jonathan Howells, senior vice president international with Universal Aviation, Universal Weather and Aviation’s ground handling subsidiary. “We feel there is a lot of pent-up travel waiting to happen.”

Oil Giveth, Oil Taketh Away

Looming heavily over the global economy is the price of oil, which has lingered below $50 per barrel for far longer than anyone in the petroleum industry could have imagined. “Of course it’s a paradox: it’s good for the industry in some ways, [and] it’s not good for the industry in other ways,” Howells told AIN. “Right now fuel pricing has been greatly advantaged by what’s going on with oil pricing, but a lot of the business aviation economy and community is driven by oil-dependent and oil-producing countries and also some of the large corporate aviation departments around the oil industry, so oil price has a distinct impact on our industry.”

“In areas where the economy relies heavily on resources, for example mines, oil and so on, the business has slowed down quite a lot in movement through our FBOs,” said Gerrit Basson, CEO of ExecuJet Aviation Group. “For example, we used to be much busier through our two FBOs in South Africa and the one in Nigeria than we are at the moment because a lot of the traffic was driven by internationals and resource companies traveling through Africa to all of their assets.”

The strong U.S. dollar is another factor affecting operators outside North America, said industry analyst Brian Foley. “Usually fuel is based on dollars too, and with a lot of foreign currencies not too strong right now, that can be a disincentive to fly more,” he said, pointing out that even though the cost has declined significantly, it hasn’t dropped as much as it has in the U.S., with its stronger currency.

Florida-based aviation services provider Sheltair has given its FBO network in the Sunshine State a major boost with an announcement yesterday that it purchased the Tampa International Jet Center (TIJC), one of two FBOs at Tampa International Airport. The independently owned location has been highly rated in the annual AINFBO Survey since it opened more than a decade ago.

“We are pleased to announce that we acquired Tampa International Jet Center, an award-winning operation with a highly commended customer service staff,” said Sheltair chairman and CEO Jerry Holland. “We are genuinely excited about bringing their expertise and reputation into the Sheltair family. Strategically, this location and operation fits perfectly into our growth model and complements our network of FBOs.”

For Sheltair, the addition represents its 17th location, spread throughout Florida, New York and Georgia. TIJC features a 14,000-sq-ft terminal, 12,000-sq-ft airside arrival/departure canopy and 108,000 sq ft of hangar space. Sheltair will continue the FBO’s previously announced plan to add another $5.5 million, 32,000-sq-ft hangar, which is expected to open in mid-2017.

Aviation services provider Sheltair has broken ground on a new hangar at Georgia’s Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV). Located adjacent to the company’s FBO and the Gulfstream Service Center, the 25,000-sq-ft, $3.1 million structure will have a door tall enough for the growing size of long-range business jets. When completed by year-end, the new structure will bring Sheltair’s hangar space at SAV to 38,500 sq ft.

“Sheltair’s decision to move ahead with construction reflects its appreciation that there is confirmed demand for hangar space that can accommodate the latest generation of large-cabin jets and the growth of Savannah as a compelling business destination,” said Todd Anderson, the company’s senior vice president for real estate and development.

“We are pleased that Sheltair has made the decision to expand its facilities here,” said Gregory Kelly, director of the Savannah Airport Commission. “Its willingness to invest in our market at this time is a strong indicator that general aviation activities are increasing here, which is a good thing for our airport and the region we serve.”

Anchorage, Alaska-based Crowley Fuels—which currently operates 15 public aviation fuel terminals in the state as well as a fuel terminal network with a storage capacity of nearly 30 million gallons of jet-A and avgas—has acquired the aviation fueling assets of fellow Alaskan provider Ace Fuels. The purchase includes the company’sFBO and 24-hour card lock self-service pumps at Merrill Field in Anchorage, as well as other facilities at Merrill Field Strip, Lake Hood Seaplane Base and Fairbanks International, Willow and Wasilla Airports.

The locations will eventually be rebranded as Crowley facilities. Crowley has been in business since 1953. “Ace Fuels and Crowley have similar cultures and values emphasizing safety, environmental protection and customer service,” said Crowley vice president Bob Cox. “Our goal is to provide a seamless transition and to continue the tradition of providing high-quality aviation fuels going forward.”

As it prepares for the early June opening of its temporary FBO at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in Thermal, Calif., Desert Jet Center has broken ground on its permanent $5 million home. The FBO will be the third service provider at the airport.

“Today is the culmination of a vision that began more than five years ago to bring a full-service aviation company to the city of Thermal, the County of Riverside and the [Coachella] valley,” noted Desert Jet president and founder Denise Wilson. The company already offers Part 145 maintenance and aircraft charter and management services at Thermal, and announced late last year that it will be entering the FBO arena there as well.

An initial building schedule was delayed due to required architectural revisions to improve landside access, according to the company. With a revised completion date of January 2017, the five-acre Desert Jet Center will include a 10,000-sq-ft terminal, office and maintenance space, along with a 22,500-sq-ft hangar that can accommodate ultra-long-range business jets thanks to its 130-foot-wide, 28-foot-tall doors. The company signed on as an Epic-branded dealer, and is in the process of installing its fuel tank farm, which when complete will hold 48,000 gallons of jet-A.

Atlantic Aviation has bolstered the western part of its U.S.-only network, with the announcement that it is purchasing the Black Canyon Jet Center, the lone FBO at Colorado’s Montrose Regional Airport. The facility serves as a gateway to the state’s ski resorts such as Telluride. In operation for a decade, the facility has garnered high ratings from readers in AIN's annual FBO Survey, particularly for its customer service.

“The addition of the Black Canyon facility enhances both our existing presence at premier resort and skiing destinations including Aspen, Hayden, Rifle and Sun Valley, and our nationwide network generally,” said Atlantic CEO Lou Pepper.

The location, which will be Atlantic's 69th, sees the majority of its annual business between December and March. It has a 4,500-sq-ft terminal with passenger and pilots' lounges, a snooze room, 12-seat conference room and a 40,000-sq-ft heated hangar capable of accommodating aircraft up to a G650.

Expected to be completed at the beginning of June pending regulatory approval, the transaction comes just one week after Sheltair announced the purchase of Tampa International Jet Center, another highly rated independent FBO.

GateOne, which began providing aviation support services at San Antonio’s Stinson Municipal Airport last summer, has expanded its operation to Utah’s Cedar City Airport with the purchase of Sphere One Aviation, the lone services provider on the field. The Avfuel-branded location offers a passenger lounge, aircraft charter and rental, flight instruction and piston aircraft maintenance. To attract business, the location will be offering triple Avtrip points through the middle of July.

Jetex has expanded its network in France with the opening of a new FBO at Marseille Provence Airport, one of the country’s busiest business aviation destinations.

The location, which offers FBO and ramp services, is open 24/7 and provides dedicated passenger and crew lounges, flight-planning area, concierge, round-the-clock customs clearance and one-hour prior notification for flights. “Being the second largest French city, with no prior permission required or other notable restrictions, Marseille is a top candidate to be our second FBO location in France,” said Loic La Joye, Jetex’s FBO network manager.

The location will be fully operational in time for France’s hosting of the UEFA European Championship soccer tournament this summer, added Julien Pedusseau, the facility’s manager. “This Jetex Marseille FBO will facilitate convenient access to UEFA games in Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Toulouse,” he said. In addition to access to the south of France, the site is near the Mediterranean playground of Monaco, 45 minutes away by helicopter

For Dubai-based Jetex, the new FBO is its sixth, joining locations in Shannon, Ireland (EINN), Santiago, Chile (SCEL), Toluca, Mexico (MMTO), Dubai, UAE (OMDB) and Paris Le Bourget (LFPB). It noted that it will be further expanding its footprint in France in the near future.

Jet Aviation has released details about the FBO it plans to build on California’s Van Nuys Airport. The new-build facility—scheduled for completion by the end of 2018—will have a 10,000-sq-ft environmentally friendly Leed Silver-certified pasenger terminal along with a pair of 40,000-sq-ft hangars with accompanying shops and offices.

In January, Jet Aviation was awarded a 30-year lease for a 17-acre property at the Los Angeles-area airport. The company's Van Nuys FBO will offer domestic and international handling, conference rooms, crew lounge, business center, flight-planning room and 24/7 guarded access to the facility and ramp. For Jet Aviation, the location will be its eighth in the U.S. and its first west of Texas.

Once operational control is granted by Los Angeles World Airports, the company will begin providing FBO services from an interim facility over the next few months. “We are delighted to expand our FBO network to include Van Nuys Airport and the West Coast market,” said David Paddock, the company’s senior vice president and general manager of U.S. aircraft services. “This expansion meets our customers’ needs and we look forward to contributing to the local community.”

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has introduced a web-based tool to help aircraft operators locate FBOs that are NATA Safety 1st trained and/or registered under the International Standard for Business Aviation Handling (IS-BAH). NATA created the FBO Status Map to supplement the existing processes that operators use when selecting an FBO. It is searchable by airport ID, company name and address.

“Safety is a vital consideration in the flight-planning process,” said NATA president and CEO Thomas Hendricks, adding that the map is a free and easy way to locate participants in the two programs anywhere in the world.

“Safety 1st and IS-BAH are not competing programs, but rather complementary tools that help ensure ground handlers are using industry best practices and gold-standard training,” noted Michael France, NATA’s managing director of safety and training. “Now aircraft operators can verify the status of potential handlers from their tablets, PCs or smartphones in seconds.”

After being deadlocked in negotiations over a lengthy lease extension, Leading Edge Aviation, the lone service provider at Salt Lake City-area South Valley Regional Airport, has decided to walk away, turning over FBO duties to the airport authority, effective today. According to airport manager Steve Jackson, the stalemate centered around the amount of infrastructure investment the authority expected from Leading Edge over the life of the contract.

Jackson told AIN the airport will assume fueling duties from the 20,000-gallon-capacity tank farm, which includes 10,000 gallons each of jet-A and 100LL, and operate the FBO while it issues a request for proposal. The airport hopes to fill the vacancy by the end of this summer. Until then, services such as maintenance and flight instruction will not be offered. Leading Edge will continue to operate its facility at Utah’s Logan-Cache Airport.

The Westchester County (N.Y.) board of legislators unanimously approved a new 30-year lease for the Million Air FBO at Westchester County Airport in White Plains during a meeting last night. The former franchise location, which was acquired in full by the parent company last March, had previously operated under a lease restriction limiting the weight of aircraft it could service on its ramp to 50,000 pounds, and in addition was not permitted to conduct refueling away from its ramp. Both restrictions were removed as part of the new lease on the 23-acre property, which goes into effect on June 1.

The decision paves the way for the company to embark on a $40 million renovation project at the New York City-area gateway. Company CEO Roger Woolsey told AIN it will start construction on a 50,000-sq-ft hangar in July, with an expected completion date of spring 2017. The structure will accommodate ultra-long-range business jets and bring the location’s hangar space up to 65,000 sq ft. A 20,000-sq-ft, two-story terminal will follow that fall, built to LEED specifications, with an enclosed four-lane porte cochere.