Story ID: 019TouchingbasesAINDec14EditedByAY_NM
Private Aviation Facilities Boosted at Caribbean Destination
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: Blue Heron Aviation and Provo Jet Center recently opened in Turks and Caicos.
Word Count: 319
Turks and Caicos received its first and (up to now) only FBO in 2001, but within the span of a month, the Caribbean paradise has received two new service provider facilities. Blue Heron Aviation, a Signature-licensed FBO at Providenciales International Airport, officially opened for business last month. The modern facility offers a 6,800-sq-ft terminal with lounges and office space, along with 11 acres of aircraft parking. The FBO will offer ground handling, fueling and Signature incentives such as its loyalty and rewards programs.

“The Turks and Caicos GA market has seen substantial growth over the past decade and we anticipate that this trend will continue,” noted Louis Jennings, Blue Heron’s general manager. “We are excited to be working with Signature Flight Support, which will bring its expertise and knowledge of the global market, enabling us to deliver the service expected of a world-class FBO.”

Meanwhile, 13 years after it opened the first FBO in Turks and Caicos, Provo Jet Center unveiled its new 9,350-sq-ft facility at the beginning of the month. The building, its design inspired by local architecture, features a two-and-a-half-story atrium in the center lobby. An interior open-air courtyard separates the arrival and departure sides, which have multiple lounges that can be enlarged or closed in with sliding walls as necessary to accommodate larger or smaller groups. A “drive-through” customs hall can take passengers straight through the building via golf cart, stopping at the customs and immigration desks before delivering them curbside to waiting ground transportation. The new pilot suite comprises a dedicated lounge, sleep room and flight-planning room with computers and wireless printers. Other features include conference rooms, concierge, complimentary Wi-Fi, a dedicated children’s lounge run in cooperation with Beaches Resort, and a dog park. While the FBO still has its former nine-acre ramp, with the new building came 15 acres more space to accommodate aircraft up to the size of a 777.