Left to right, Lou Homsher – Quality control manager – FXE, Tanner – MX tech- SGJ, Jonathan – MX tech- SGJ, Gabe – MX crew leader- SGJ, David – MX tech- SGJ, Charlie Amento – VP/Director of MRO -FXE
This month, I had the opportunity to speak with Banyan Air Service’s vice president of MRO services, Charlie Amento, about the expansion to St. Augustine’s Northeast Florida Regional Airport, KSGJ. The move makes sense, even after Banyan’s long success within the boundaries of the Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport.
Lance Phillips: Charlie, thank you for taking a few minutes to discuss the expansion to St. Augustine. Are you planning to certify a new Part 145 station there, or is Banyan taking over another 145 that was already there?
Charlie Amento: Banyan will operate the St. Augustine MRO facility as a satellite to our Part 145 facility in Ft. Lauderdale.
LP: Volato is a charter organization with operations at KSGJ. Their HondaJet fleet seems like it would make them a great partner for Banyan. Were you able to bring on any former Volato personnel with the expansion?
CA: Yes, Banyan hired two former Volato line maintenance personnel. We also hired a local maintenance technician and brought two others up from Ft. Lauderdale. So, we now have five maintenance technicians performing heavy maintenance checks at SGJ–mostly the 600-hour check, which is the major inspection for HondaJets.
LP: Who is your main target audience for business at the SGJ facility?
CA: Banyan is the authorized service and sales center for HondaJet in the southeast, which means that we’re responsible for sales and service in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. We have been supporting AOG (aircraft on ground) calls from Ft. Lauderdale before the expansion, so having our location in North Florida makes it much more efficient to take care of our customers from an obvious geographic perspective. In addition, since Volato, a major HondaJet charter operator, has a base at SGJ, it makes a lot of sense to take care of their fleet of 25 aircraft at our facility.
LP: Do you plan to expand your service capabilities at SGJ, or do you intend to keep it HondaJet only?
CA: Over time, we intend to cover every airframe we service in Ft. Lauderdale, here in St. Augustine.
LP: Does the expansion mean that your customers in Ft. Lauderdale will now enjoy some freed-up capacity there?
CA: In a sense, yes. Our facility is at capacity in Ft. Lauderdale, and pre-SGJ, some of our customers were overflying St. Augustine to come to Banyan. Now they don’t have to. It’s much more convenient for our customers across the Southeast, from a geographic standpoint, of course, but also from a scheduling perspective.
LP: Are there any plans to add FBO and fuel capabilities at SGJ?
CA: Currently, it’s just at the conversation and research level, which includes analyzing traffic in and out of the airport. We have talked about it and are looking at real estate opportunities, too.
LP: What about sales personnel expansion?
CA: All sales activities will be managed through Ft. Lauderdale. So, we’ll be focusing strictly on maintenance and avionics work at St. Augustine.
LP: How involved was HondaJet leadership in the move to St. Augustine?
CA: They loved the idea. It will provide much better service for HondaJet operators and free up capacity for the whole southeast. Honda was also very supportive by helping acquire any needed tooling.
LP: What is your expansion plan at St. Augustine from a square footage perspective?
CA: We have around 12,000 square feet now, which fits four HondaJets for major maintenance events. But Banyan wants to expand within the next two years. Right now, there is a four-year backlog for hangar availability at SGJ, so we’re keeping our eyes open for any opportunities. Once we add to our footprint, we’ll start expanding our capabilities for other larger aircraft maintenance events.
LP: How is the relationship with St. Johns County starting out? They’ve got to be happy that a long-time successful aviation company is expanding into their region.
CA: The open-arm welcome by the local government has been phenomenal. The airport authority has been very thorough in their evaluation, and both sides couldn’t be happier to be working together. It has been a seamless transition thanks to the strong relationship.
LP: Thank you, Charlie, for the time this morning. I look forward to visiting SGJ soon.
