Proposal for New Houston Hobby FBO Sparks Turf War

The City Council of Houston, Texas, heard final arguments today regarding the awarding of another FBO lease at Houston Hobby Airport, which is already home to five major service providers that pump a combined 1.2 million gallons of fuel a month.

Black Forest Ventures–which operates Galaxy FBO (no affiliation with the former Galaxy Aviation chain) at nearby Lone Star Executive Airport and Part 135 operator Wing Aviation–hopes to build a $20 million facility at Hobby that would include a 20,000-sq-ft terminal and a pair of 38,000-sq-ft hangars. According to Black Forest, which manages a number of Hobby-based large-cabin jets, it has filled its 20,000-sq-ft hangar and wants to expand and add FBO services.

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) weighed in with a letter to Houston’s mayor and city council, calling for what it describes as a “level playing field” at Hobby. It requested an amendment that at least one of Black Forest’s FBO hangars be designated for the exclusive use of third-party customers.

“Here we have five FBOs that have ganged up against a smaller local business to prevent us from expanding and securing a lease from the city, similar to all the leases that they currently have,” Black Forest Ventures president Dirk Laukien told AIN. A final vote on the issue is expected tomorrow.