Airport official: Special designation couldn’t come at a better time
By JOSH JANNEY The Winchester Star May 5, 2020
WINCHESTER — Winchester Regional Airport says Winchester Aviation, the business that offers fuel and aircraft services at the Frederick County airport, has become a preferred fixed-base operator (FBO) within the Corporate Aircraft Association (CAA) network.
Airport Executive Director Nick Sabo said the preferred FBO status provides Winchester Aviation additional exposure and marketing opportunities through the CAA network, which should lead to a boost in business.
“They’ve got something in the magnitude of 3,200 aircraft/members that are part of their organization,” Sabo said. “And a lot of them like to solely go to airports that are designated as ‘preferred’ in their network. It can bring us additional traffic opportunities, but definitely a higher level of marketing and exposure by being involved in their program.”
CAA negotiates competitive pricing for fuel and services at airports across the country. Its members consist of turbine aircraft users who operate exclusively under Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 operating rules. CAA allows only one preferred FBO per airport. Preferred FBOs are selected through a member voting process.
CAA members will now receive reduced fuel and service costs from Winchester Regional Airport, which Sabo said is “a big draw.” He added that the benefits of being labeled a preferred FBO couldn’t come at a better time, as the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced activity at the airport.
“We started this process three-and-a-half months ago to get this bid process through CAA completed, not having any awareness of what was coming,” Sabo said. “Now that we have this [coronavirus] pandemic, it has hit us so hard. It’s coming at a nice time that we are able to provide another opportunity for folks to maybe save some money while using our airport.
The contract with CAA began May 1 and is valid for three years.
For information about the Corporate Aircraft Association, visit www.corpaa.us
For information about the Winchester Regional Airport, go to www.flyokv.com
Story Credit: https://www.winchesterstar.com/