Story ID: 
Oklahoma Airport To Assume FBO Operations
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: Declining fuel sales as a result of limited access for large-aircraft prompted the operator to withdraw.
Word Count: 172
At the beginning of next month, Oklahoma’s Lawton-Fort Sill Regional Airport will assume control of the lone FBO at the field. The Lawson Metropolitan Area Airport Authority voted unanimously this month to end the lease of incumbent FBO operator LaSill Aviation, which sought to exit its agreement.

While LaSill had provided aviation services (including airliner fueling) there for a decade, the airport has suffered from accelerated deterioration of its 8,600-foot runway, and as a result limited traffic to regional jets and smaller aircraft. The FBO’s owners subsequently informed the authority that they would have to close for lack of fueling revenue from large aircraft.

Plans to transfer the remaining five years of the lease to another aviation company based at a nearby airport fell through after the two sides could not come to an agreement over a lease extension and possible rent abeyance. The recently renovated location will offer a pilot lounge, conference room, Wi-Fi, flight planning area, crew cars and on-site car rentals.