Page 23 - June24T

tomers 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 con- versation and research level, which includes analyzing traffic in and out of the airport. We have talked about it and are looking at real estate op- portunities, too.
LP: What about sales person- nel expansion?
CA: All sales activities will be man- aged through Ft. Lauderdale. So, we’ll be focusing strictly on maintenance and avionics work at St. Augustine.
LP: How involved was Hon- daJet leadership in the move to St. Augustine?
CA: They loved the idea. It will provide much better service for Hon- daJet operators and free up capacity for the whole southeast. Honda was also very supportive by helping ac- quire any needed tooling.
LP: What is your expansion plan at St. Augustine from a square foot- age perspective?
CA: We have around 12,000 square feet now, which fits four Honda- Jets for major maintenance events. But Banyan wants to expand within the next two years. Right now, there is a four-year backlog for hangar avail- ability 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 suc- cessful aviation company is expand- ing into their region.
CA: The open-arm welcome by the local government has been phenom- enal. 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.
June 2024 / TWIN & TURBINE • 21