Potential FBO takeover prompts concern
Richmond, Virginia, airport commission considers displacing current providers
As the Capital Region Airport Commission (CRAC) considers exercising its right to provide FBO services at Richmond International Airport in Virginia, AOPA offered reasons to reconsider that.
The busy airport handled more than 113,000 takeoffs and landings in the last 12 months, according to FAA data, with general aviation accounting for nearly half of that total. Pilots and aircraft are served by two FBOs: Million Air Richmond, and the Richmond Jet Center—an arrangement conducive to healthy competition that benefits all concerned, AOPA Eastern Regional Manager Sean Collins noted in a July 29 letter to CRAC Chairman James Holland.
“For an airport sponsor to take action to utilize their proprietary exclusive rights to serve as the FBO, the sponsor is obligated to meet its own established minimum standards, the same as a private FBO,” Collins wrote. “This likely means significant investment in human capital and capital investments to serve in that capacity as the employees must be direct employees of RIC.”
Having heard from thousands of pilots who were surprised by ramp fees, including surcharges imposed by single-source FBOs during special events, AOPA has worked with industry partners and airport authorities for years to promote fair and transparent FBO pricing. While most FBOs balance their need to earn a profit against the need to provide access to airports and services at reasonable prices, as certain FAA grant assurances require, reducing any airport’s FBO to a single vendor has all too often coincided with price increases.
"AOPA believes a well-run airport leads to better pricing for all and we hope that the requirements for RIC to run its own FBO have been fully vetted to avoid unforeseen and unnecessary expenditures that will drive your cost per passenger up as well as cost for services to general aviation customers," Collins wrote. “We have long stressed the value and necessity of airports for promoting aviation and air travel and bringing affordable access and economic benefits to communities like Richmond. In addition to ensuring compliance with grant assurances, it is in the public’s interest for the Commission to continue to permit healthy competition.”
The airport commission voted July 30 to delay further consideration of the proposal until August 27.
