Gary Buchanan, executive v-p of FBO operations at Million Air, was optimistic about the future of sustainability while speaking this morning at the NBAA Regional Forum in White Plains, New York.
“One of the things that’s important to us at Million Air is that we get beyond green,” he said. “A lot of companies talk about going green, and they think about the technologies available today. We aspire to be forward-thinking for our customers. I read a book once about value migration and the steel industry and how their customers eventually migrated away from them.”
The company recently announced a partnership with Beta Technologies to install electric aircraft and vehicle charging infrastructure at select Million Air FBOs. Million Air facilities in Tallahassee (KTLH) in Florida and Gulfport (KGPT) in Mississippi were the first to bring these chargers online.
“We have to be in a position where we have to anticipate that growth and these things are going to be down the road, and when they are, we’re prepared,” Buchanan said. “We have the infrastructure in place. What I love about Beta is they were focused on the infrastructure.”
Buchanan added that Million Air’s focus also means being forward-thinking.
“Not only are we looking at green technologies today, how we get to zero emissions and good stewards of the environment, we’re looking at how we anticipate the next 50 years in aviation and what that’s going to look like, and making sure we’re taking the steps to get there.”
Million Air was the first FBO with a charging station in Florida. It was a move that Buchanan said impressed local officials, including the governor.
“The governor comes out and they’re just amazed the technology was there. Then there was a huge rainstorm that took everybody that was outside into the FBO, and to me that represented the partnership. No matter the weather, we were going to see this through.”