Story ID: 019a
FBO Profile: Wilson Air Center Houston
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: Two decades at KHOU and going stronger than ever
Word Count: 686
For Wilson Air Center, a small but highly regarded FBO chain, 2025 represents its 20th anniversary as a service provider at Houston’s bustling William P. Hobby Airport (KHOU). One of six FBOs on the field, the company recently renovated its facility, with the $4 million project focused on the conversion of a 7,200-sq-ft 1950s structure that was more than three times the size of its former home.
“We took an existing building that was never a terminal, it was just offices, and just gutted it down to bare bones and redid it,” said Jonathan Garms, the facility’s longstanding general manager.
Inspired by a favorite hospitality destination of company owner Bob Wilson in the mountains of North Carolina, the new terminal was designed with a rustic look from the start. “Usually, everybody does the very modern, sleek style facilities; we wanted to do something different,” Garms told AIN. “We decided to do more of a lodge look, so we have timbers, trusses throughout the facility; there’s a very large wood centerpiece in the middle of the lobby; it’s just a very warm, welcoming facility.”
Following its opening in April 2023, Wilson Air Center then renovated its former 2,000-sq-ft terminal into a separate, dedicated VIP lobby, capable of handling everything from large sports charter flights to the most discreet celebrity.
The new complex features two conference rooms, seating six and 20 respectively, pilot lounge with two snooze rooms, flight planning area, business center, arcade room, concierge service, and refreshment bar with a freezer packed with local favorite Bluebell ice cream. Crew cars and onsite car rental are also available.
Occupying 19 acres at KHOU, the Titan Fuels-branded facility has 100,000 sq ft of hangar space capable of sheltering the latest ultra-long-range business jets. It is home to 35 turbine-powered aircraft ranging from a pair of Gulfstream G650s down to a Pilatus PC-12 turboprop single.
From its fuel farm, which holds 42,000 gallons of jet-A and 12,000 gallons of avgas, its fleet of tankers (a quartet of 5,000-gallon jet refuelers and a 1,000-gallon 100LL truck handled by the FBO’s NATA Safety 1st trained line technicians) pumps more than 3.5 million gallons a year.
With a staff of 38, the facility is open 24/7 and, according to Garms, claims more than 22% of the business on the field, averaging nearly 1,000 arrivals and departures a month. He noted that the FBO is just entering its peak period of activity, which now lasts from August all the way through the end of May. Most of those customers are Part 91 operators, either corporate flight departments or privately owned aircraft. Houston’s famed MD Anderson Cancer Center also draws many flights, with patients arriving for treatment via aviation charities such as Corporate Angel Network.
Wilson Air is located on the south side of the field, adjacent to the U.S. Customs facility, where all arriving international private flights must stop on arrival.
Currently, the complex has 465,000 sq ft of ramp space, but that will change when the company kicks off an expansion project in the third quarter, which will add 110,000 sq ft of ramp space along with a new taxiway entrance. With Houston a host city for the FIFA World Cup next year, the goal is to have it ready by the start of the tournament in June.
This month, the company expects to make a go/no-go decision on the development of a 16-acre plot under its control that would be linked to its main ramp by the new 110,000-sq-ft expansion. Plans are under consideration for a further $50 million project consisting of 120,000 sq ft of hangars, offices, and shop space, along with another 400,000 sq ft of ramp.
When it comes to customer service, Garms has no illusions. “There’s nothing hard about customer service, but so many people mess it up,” he explained. “Our employees treat everybody the same way, treat them with respect, and greet them with a smile, and we anticipate their needs as much as we can. Honestly, it’s pretty simple.”