Story ID: 
Marathon flight goes the distance at ISM
By: Mark Phelps
Caption: Family-owned Marathon Flight Services recently completed a $1.6 million construction project at Kissimmee (Fla.) Gateway Airport (ISM).
Word Count: 168
Family-owned Marathon Flight Services recently completed a $1.6 million construction project at Kissimmee (Fla.) Gateway Airport (ISM). In business for 35 years, Marathon garnered a 45-percent market share at ISM last year and expects fuel sales of 850,000 gal by year-end. Business has increased by 25 percent for each of the past five years, and sales for the first several months of this year have accelerated at a rate of 50 percent over last year.Construction began last June on the 6,000-sq-ft terminal complex with its 100-ft-tall, 7,000-sq-ft canopy. A Phillips 66 Aviation Performance Center, Marathon hosts transient aircraft on its 12-acre ramp. Less than eight miles from Walt Disney World and a short road trip from the Orlando Convention Center, Kissimmee Gateway Airport has seen rapid expansion. With two runways (6,000 ft and 5,000 ft) and an ILS approach, the airport is a prime destination for incoming traffic, though based tenants have begun to flock to the facility. Marathon plans a second phase of construction for this fall, including a 16,600-sq-ft hangar and office complex.