Story ID: 
Hawthorne Buys Bama Air
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: The addition of the Alabama FBO gives the six year old chain its fifth location.
Word Count: 238
Charleston, S.C.-based Hawthorne Global Aviation Services has expanded its FBO network with the announcement that it has acquired Bama Air, one of two service providers at Alabama’s Tuscaloosa Regional Airport. The facility, which specializes in quick turns, includes a 5,000-sq-ft terminal with a fireplace, crew cars, concierge, flight planning and briefing rooms, 10-seat conference room, pilots' lounge with shower facilities, on-site car rental, widescreen televisions and Wi-Fi. Its 75,000 sq ft of hangar space can accommodate midsize jets such as the Citation XLS.

The acquisition marks the fifth location for the chain, which also has facilities at New York’s Long Island MacArthur, Chicago Executive, Atlanta Cobb County and Wisconsin’s Chippewa Valley Regional Airports.

“This location is a full-service FBO with a wide range of amenities including aircraft management and aircraft maintenance along with warm hospitality you’d expect from any of the five Hawthorne FBOs nationwide,” said company president and CEO Bryon Burbage. “We are very pleased to be a part of the Tuscaloosa community and look forward to a long and productive relationship with the airport and the city.”

According to the company, the location sees a lot of demand from supporters of the nearby University of Alabama. Hawthorne expects to embark on a major renovation of the three-decade old facility in the first quarter of 2017, after the conclusion of this year's college football championship.