Fort Lauderdale FBO Breaks Ground on New Home

Jetscape, one of four service providers at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), broke ground this week on a new FBO/hangar complex. The $30 million greenfield project on the west side of the field near the control tower will consist of a three-story 27,000-sq-ft terminal and an 80,000-sq-ft hangar capable of sheltering ultra-long-range business jets.

“In terms of people moving their operations to South Florida, the number of large aircraft coming into the market is unbelievable,” said Emlyn David, former CEO of Skyservice Business Aviation, who was brought on as a strategic consultant for the development.

The terminal will include built-to-suit office space for tenants, and the company noted it is in final negotiations with one client for a large portion of space. “A lot of the conversations happening today are with large fleet operators that want and need a presence in the south Florida market and in particular FLL because FLL is 24/7, it can take larger aircraft, and there is a real shortage of hangar space," David said. "We are going to specifically cater to those type operators, and what we are seeing is the demand that these operators also have for office space."

According to Jetscape president Troy Menken, the project is expected to take 18 months, which would put it on track for a third-quarter 2022 opening. The company currently operates out of a 5,000-sq-ft terminal on the northern side of the field in a complex with a trio of 10,000-sq-ft hangars. Menken told AIN that the facility will be returned to the county once the new complex is completed.

Three years ago, the company acquired a separate hangar facility on the airport's northern side that includes a 32,000-sq-ft hangar with 45-foot-high doors and a pair of 20,000-sq-ft hangars. It will retain this complex, giving it 152,000 sq ft of total aircraft shelter space once the new FBO is completed.