COLUMBUS, Ind. — An aviation services company has been selected as the new fixed-base operator at the Columbus Municipal Airport.
On Sept. 1, Aero Management Group began operating as a fixed-base operator (FBO) at the airport under the name “Columbus Jet.” Their FBO lease, which was approved by the aviation board in August, is a 30-year lease, said airport Director Brian Payne.
Jeff Air Pilot Services, the previous fixed-base operator, signed off on the lease, as Aero Management Group has folded in the smaller company and will be leasing the same spaces. They are also employing the same individuals who worked under Jeff Air. Ryan Maxfield, chief revenue officer of Aero Management Group and one of its founders, said that the move was not an acquisition, but an “asset purchase.”
Maxfield said that the company and airport worked together to create a new lease that is “more advantageous” to both parties. One of its stipulations is that the company will make $500,000 capital investment in the airport by the 20th year.
Maxfield said that this contribution would likely come in the form of corporate hangar space that can hold larger aircraft and offer certain amenities, such as heated hangars for businesses working in the winter months. He said the facility would “help support the growth of our jet program and charter program.”
For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
