A New, Upscale J.A. Air Center

At a time when many GA airports are experiencing a painful decline in business activity, Aurora Municipal is growing. Airport director Bob Rieser attributes this growth to many things, most importantly, the airport’s position within the general aviation marketplace. Rieser stresses the importance of increasing the activity of business aviation on the field without disrupting the presence of the recreational aviation enthusiast. Aurora Municipal is a designated reliever airport for Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and Midway (MDW) airports.

Aside from a location which has absorbed increasing bizav traffic due to corporate investment in the Chicago Western suburbs, Aurora Municipal is also able to base a sizable amount of aircraft, currently 370. The airport’s total projected hangar storage is 998,000-square feet; 377,000-square feet of which consists of a T-hangar complex called Skyhaven. A fourth runway, completely funded by Aurora, has been constructed but not yet commissioned, and Rieser sees the possibility of a new T-hangar bank and air traffic control tower in the future.

“There have been some big changes to this field,” says Rieser. “Hangar construction, infrastructure investment; all have helped us weather the financial storm.”

The airport’s annual income is $1.4 million and expected to rise with the recent addition of the J.A. Air Center FBO. HondaJet Midwest, owned by Des Moines Flying Service, will also be calling Aurora home this year, and Rieser anticipates the possibility of a PiperJet franchise to follow. HondaJet plans to break ground this spring and expects to be operational by the third quarter of 2010. Aurora authorized the sale of private use airport bonds in the amount of $11 million for the HondaJet project. Relates Rieser, “This airport is not currently self-sufficient; I think it will be self-sufficient in five years.”