When the Galaxy FBO chain broke ground on its facility at Dallas-area Addison Airport (KADS) in the summer of 2020, it had little idea that the opening of its third location would be delayed by a year due to labor and supply chain issues resulting from the global pandemic. As the saying goes, however, “Good things come to those who wait,” and the results have proven that adage.
The third service provider at KADS, Galaxy FBO opened on Nov. 1, 2022, and swiftly made its mark on its customers, landing in the top 5% of all FBOs worldwide in this year’s AIN FBO Survey.
The 17-acre leasehold includes a 14,364-sq-ft terminal right across the street from Addison Circle Park, with an easy turn-off from Addison Road right into the FBO’s porte-cochère. It features two eight-seat conference rooms just off the well-furnished lobby that can double as private passenger lounges; a refreshment bar; a pilot lounge with shower facilities; and onsite car rental, pet station, valet parking, and 7,000 sq ft of office space. Special lighting towards the ceiling of the expansive, double-height lobby can be color-customized in honor of holidays, events, or even VIP customers. At only five square miles, the town of Addison has the highest concentration of restaurants in the U.S. with more than 200, including many in walking distance of the FBO, offering visitors plenty of dining options.
A climate-controlled customer vehicle garage—complete with two electric charging stations and a wash area (for complimentary based-tenant car washes)—is adjacent to the ground service equipment bay.
The complex has 112,000 sq ft of hangar space, which can accommodate the latest ultra-long-range business jets, and is home to 35 turbine-powered airplanes ranging from a Pilatus PC-12 to a Gulfstream G650, and seven acres of contiguous ramp space.
A member of the Air Elite Network, the Phillips 66-branded FBO shares the airport’s community fuel farm, with its designated tanks holding 50,000 gallons of jet-A and 10,000 gallons of avgas. They are served by the company’s NATA Safety 1st-trained line staff, operating a trio of 5,000-gallon jet refuelers and two avgas tankers. Last year, the FBO earned Stage 1 registration under IBAC’s International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling, the voluntary audit-based safety program of industry best practices.
Also in 2023, a new Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility opened on the field, replacing the small office formerly located in one of the FBOs. Arriving international aircraft will now clear customs and immigration at the midfield location, and the Galaxy FBO staff will position customer cars there upon request, so passengers can depart immediately from the airport after CBP approval rather than accompanying the aircraft to the FBO.
While August is traditionally the slowest time of the year at KADS, the airport saw several spikes above its normally busy traffic over the past year. Last month, the airport and neighboring Addison Circle Park hosted Kaboomtown, its annual July 3 airshow, followed by one of the nation’s largest fireworks displays that typically draws half a million spectators, and Major League Baseball held its 2024 All-Star Game at Globe Life Field in nearby Arlington. Last year, the American Country Music Awards were also presented in the Metroplex town of Frisco, and in October, the Texas Rangers drew visitors during their win of the 2023 World Series, the first in team history. While the Super Bowl always provides a boost in outbound private aircraft traffic, this year’s venue of Las Vegas proved an even stronger draw.
According to general manager Jamie Muñoz, her team at the FBO—which is staffed 24/7 365 days a year—goes out of its way to make clients feel at home. “The biggest testament is on any given day when you see our based tenants flying out, within a matter of 30 minutes you will see maybe 20 hugs transpiring,” she told AIN. “It feels like a family; it feels like home, and we have customers that come and just hang out here and they want to talk. It’s been really special to see that and hear from customers, 'I don’t know what it is about this place, but it feels different.'”
That level of interaction includes one based aircraft owner who decided he wanted to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with the staff at the FBO and brought his wife and friends to share the fully catered meal he had delivered there.