As COVID-19 continues to rage worldwide, causing many domestic and international carriers to struggle with diminished demand, one positive outcome from this is that more air travelers who have the financial means are seeking out business aviation and charter operators for private flights. While certainly not affordable for everyone, this influx of new clients has FBOs across the country reporting brisk business, which many launching plans for expansion.
Back in March of 2020, Cutter Aviation president and CEO Will Cutter never could have imagined his company would be celebrating one of its best years yet. Travel was diminished and fears were heightened, “not a plane was on the ramp nor a gallon of jet fuel to be sold,” Cutter said. However, his team pushed forward, and soon enough travelers found a new routine, opting for safer travel via charter planes and private jets.
Cutter Aviation now finds itself entering 2021 on the heels of a banner year with record-setting sales, a surge in private charter rentals, full occupancy at all of its hangars across all FBO locations throughout the Southwest, and a host of expansion projects on the horizon. The company is getting ready to break ground on a new 60,000-square-foot hangar with 12,000 square feet of state-of-the-art office space at Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (KDVT) in Phoenix, Arizona. A similar project at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (KPHX) could begin as early as 2022, followed by an additional hangar project at Albuquerque International Sunport (KABQ) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, within the next few years.
“We’re always looking for opportunities to expand out here in the Southwest, where we have four FBO locations, in addition to our service locations in Phoenix at Sky Harbor (KPHX), Denver, Colorado at Centennial Airport (KAPA), San Antonio (KSAT) and Addison, Texas (KADS),” Will Cutter said. “We’ve had plenty of opportunities to buy other locations around the nation in the Southeast, Northwest, and Midwest, but we want to be a big powerhouse in the Southwest—that’s our home.”
Another company making forward progress during the pandemic is Carver Aero. The company recently announced it had been selected by the Council Bluffs Airport Authority to be the fixed-base operator for the Council Bluffs, Iowa, airport. Simultaneously, an agreement has been reached to acquire Advanced Air from Lisa LaMantia, the long-term owner and operator of the current FBO and flight school at the airfield. “Carver Aero is committed to small-town FBOs across the Midwest,” said Carver CEO Guy Lieser, “and we are partnering with aviation companies that feel the same way. Our research shows that the pandemic is bringing people to private aviation, some who have always wanted to learn to fly but were stuck in a city office somewhere and others who don’t want to deal with the hassles of commercial travel. We think that mindset will continue even after the pandemic as more people realize they can fly from their local airports.”
The Council Bluffs FBO acquisition marks the beginning of Carver’s expansion in the Midwest. “We want to continue providing specialty services for those passionate about aviation, but we’re also looking at an emerging market of new fliers,” said Lieser. “We want to bring that nostalgic sense of wonder back to community airports, even make them the place where families come to enjoy watching planes take off and land. We also believe airports should be major contributors to the local economy, and we are looking forward to becoming a part of the local and regional economic development efforts.”
Along with the FBO acquisition, Carver recently added to their charter aircraft fleet with the purchase of two additional Beechcraft King Air turboprops. Carver Aero initially will base a King Air 200 and King Air 350 in Council Bluffs to serve the eastern Nebraska and western Iowa markets, while a fleet that includes a King Air C90, 200, 350, a Pilatus PC-12, and a Cessna Citation 560 Ultra jet will be based in Davenport, Iowa, to serve the eastern Iowa and northern Illinois regions. Carver also manages, maintains, and pilots a Hawker 750 and two Hawker 400s for customers.
