Aviat Mall FBO at Wilmington Survives Less Than a Year

Aviat Mall, the second FBO at North Carolina’s Wilmington International Airport (ILM), which opened last summer, closed this month after failing to meet the airport’s minimum standards and defaulting on its rent payments. Known primarily for its pilot-centric product sales business, the location at ILM was the company’s first foray into the aviation service business. “The FBO business is capital intensive, and I don’t think they realized how much it would take,” said airport manager Julie Wilsey.

Aviat Mall was the only respondent to numerous RFPs issued last year by the airport for the five-year, non-renewable lease on the 13-acre former Aero Services facility, which included a 3,000-sq-ft terminal and 21,000 sq ft of hangar space. The short term of the lease was necessitated because of the airport’s master plan, which calls for the removal of the facility from FBO use at the end of the lease period. The closing leaves Air Wilmington (currently undergoing redevelopment) as the lone services provider. According to Wilsey, the airport board will make a decision on issuing an RFP for another new FBO on the north side when the redevelopment project is completed.