Click Here to View This Page on Production Frontend
Click Here to Export Node Content
Click Here to View Printer-Friendly Version (Raw Backend)
Note: front-end display has links to styled print versions.
Content Node ID: 383321
The Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) Commission on September 14 voted to take over operations at the lone FBO on the field when the current lease expires at the end of next year. Stevens Aviation—which operates FBOs at nearby Donaldson Field Airport and in Dayton, Ohio, as well as MROs at Greenville, Donaldson, Dayton and Nashville—has been the service provider at the South Carolina airport since it opened in 1962. The FBO there provides fueling for both general and commercial aviation customers.
At a meeting in July, the airport district and commission elected not to negotiate a new FBO lease with Stevens, effectively ending discussions with the company. At that time the airport also decided it would not seek any request for proposals for the location.
“We weren’t going to go down the traditional FBO lease path,” said airport president and CEO David Edwards. “That left us with the two other options, both of which enabled the airport district to take much more control, either under a management agreement or under a self-run FBO.”
The FBO includes a 10,000-sq-ft terminal and 50,000 sq ft of heated hangars that can accommodate aircraft up to a Gulfstream G650. Stevens’ MRO facility at GSP specializes in turboprop aircraft maintenance. Edwards stated the airport district has no issue with trying to negotiate a follow-on lease agreement solely for the repair and overhaul operation. Stevens vice president of operations Paul Witt told AIN that without the FBO business at GSP, it will likely close the location and combine its operations at its headquarters MRO facility 10 miles away at Donaldson Field Airport.
Of the approximately 60 Stevens employees at GSP, the company expects it will be forced to lay off about a third as a result of the changes. Edwards said the airport is currently searching for an experienced FBO general manager to ensure a smooth transition once the airport takes over control of the FBO. Also, he has guaranteed that all displaced service workers will receive an interview with the airport district.