Middletown to Consider Self-Service Fueling at Airport as It Takes Over Operations

Dec. 5, 2019

Middletown City Council will consider spending $150,000 to set up and maintain a self-serve fueling system at the Middletown Regional Airport as the city prepares to take over airport operations.

The self-serve fueling service is one of multiple steps the city must take to prepare for its takeover on Jan. 1, including setting up office space and performing a recertification of fueling tanks and fueling system. The city council will discuss it at its meeting tonight.

The city notified the current operator, Start Aviation, that it would not renew its contract when it expires Dec. 31. Start Aviation is affiliated with Start Skydiving, one of the airport’s tenants, and has an ongoing dispute with the city over a hangar lease that has lasted for more than a year. Start Aviation has been the airport’s operator for more than 10 years.

“The city chose to take over as (operator) after receiving numerous service complaints from pilots who were unable to get their planes fueled or serviced because the line services personnel were busy supporting the skydiving operations,” said Matt Eisenbraun, assistant economic development director.

“We want the FBO to be more customer focused so we can attract more transient users who want traditional core airport services.”

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The city will spend $15,000 for the cleaning and recertification of the fuel tanks and fueling system as it takes over operations and sets up the self-serve fueling. The city prefers a self-serve model because it saves the costs of an attendant and allows pilots to refuel whenever they would like.

The new self-serve system will cost $75,000 and another $50,000 for engineering and installation.

The city will likely set up temporary quarters to run its operations beginning Jan. 1 at an estimated cost of $9,000 from Jan. 1 thorugh June 30. Those costs include utility, telephone, web, and security installation costs.

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