Dec. 17--Changes are planned with a pair of longtime businesses at Salina Regional Airport, and another is set to join in.
Some or all of the fixed base operator business (FBO) of America Jet, 2010 Rogers, and Flower Aviation of Salina, 2035 Beechcraft, will be replaced by AvFlight, an FBO business based in Saginaw, Mich. AvFlight has proposed to rent a hangar that America Jet is currently leasing from the Salina Airport Authority, and a hangar and building from Flower Aviation of Salina. They also will rent a pumphouse.
Lease terminations for properties rented to Salina's two current FBOs are on Wednesday's airport authority agenda. Flower has been in operation since 1973. America Jet, formerly named Midway Aviation, has been in operation since 1984.
Doug Livergood, a Flower Aviation worker for 24 years, the past 20 as general manager, declined comment. The company owner at headquarters in Pueblo, Colo., could not be reached Monday.
Carl Muhs, the AvFlight president, did not provide details of the deal Monday.
"I'd prefer to have this conversation wrapped up from the airport," Muhs said by phone Monday.
He said more information would be released during Wednesday's meeting, which begins at 8 a.m. at the M.J. Kennedy Air Terminal, 3237 Arnold.
Greg Lust, who owns America Jet with his wife, Tammie, said AvFlight has purchased only their fueling operation. The business employs 13 full-and part-time people.
America Jet will retain its maintenance operations, aircraft rental and flight instruction "if feasible," according to a statement emailed to the Journal Monday night. The new America Jet operation will include Lust and two employees, he said.
According to Lust's statement, the FBO industry has been "... trending towards consolidation for a number of years now."
"As the capital requirements have increased along with fuel prices and aircraft have become more fuel efficient, the independent FBOs like ours are gradually being bought out by larger chains. The FBO chains can operate more efficiently with economies of scale and can route aircraft through their various locations."
Lust wrote that Avflight will take over aircraft fueling at the airport effective Jan. 1.
AvFlight is a division of Avfuel Corporation, "which operates a fueling network of over 3,000 locations worldwide and over 600 Avfuel branded dealers," according to the Airport Authority memo. AvFlight has FBOs at Detroit, Durango, Colo., Flint, Mich,. Lansing, Mich., Harrisburg, Penn., Roswell, N.M., and Ypsilanti, Mich.
"Gaining a tenant who is part of an international provider of aviation services is a huge advantage for the Salina Regional Airport. AvFlight will aggressively market KSLN as 'America's Fuel Stop' and has a truly national and international customer base," with staff aimed at military and government fuel sales, according to the memo.
-- Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by email at [email protected].
Copyright 2013 - The Salina Journal, Kan.
