Story ID: 
Georgia FBOs See Ownership Changes
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: Two FBOs at separate Georgia airports have been purchased by competing chains.
Word Count: 249
SAR Trilogy Management has completed the acquisition of Epps Aviation, the family-owned, full-service provider at Atlanta Peachtree-DeKalb Airport (KPDK), completing a deal announced in January. The facility will now be rebranded as part of the Aero Centers chain.
Nearby at Gwinnett County Airport (KLZU), Sheltair has begun operations as the second service provider on the field, along with Aircraft Specialists Jet Center, giving the Florida-based chain its 16th location and its second in Georgia. The company was selected in January at the end of an RFP process. As part of its 40-year lease, Sheltair committed to $17 million in infrastructure improvements, including building a new FBO as it operates from the existing facility.
Aero Centers's complex at KPDK has a 7,000-sq-ft terminal and 220,000 sq ft of hangar space that can accommodate ultra-long-range business jets. The purchase also included Epps’s Part 135 aircraft charter certificate and Part 145 repair station and avionics shop, allowing the now eight-location Aero Center chain to offer these services for the first time.
“Aero Center Epps Atlanta is now the new crown jewel of our Aero Centers FBO portfolio,” said Sanjay Aggarwal, SAR Trilogy’s co-founder and co-CEO. “Entering a top-10 market is exciting. The size, scale, and location of Epps allow us to grow as well as extend the Epps service offerings and back-office support to the balance of the portfolio.”