For the uninitiated, Fixed Base Operators offer various aeronautical and aviation services at an airport. They specialize in the handling, hangaring and fueling of private aircraft, and typically, FBOs work for a myriad of clients with different requirements. Needless to mention, Fixed Base Operators are critical service providers at an airport. Given their relevance, many airport sponsors or investors in airport infrastructure hire professional FBO management companies.
As mentioned, Fixed Base Operators work with diverse clients and therefore experience plays a critical role in delivering the customer experience. You should diligence a potential management company’s experience across a range of airports, from small general aviation focused airports to large, international commercial hubs. Also it is important to understand their breadth of capabilities. Management companies with deep experience in aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) and Aircraft Charter and Mangement (ACM) can use these capabilities to create additional revenue streams and profit centers at an airport.
There is an old saying that “what gets measured gets managed”. One of the key value drivers of professional FBO management is implementing and using management information systems that give managers and employees the best tools to manage the business and meet customer needs. Professional managers using the right types of enterprise systems and also provide real time operational and financial reporting to key stakeholders such as financial institutions and equity sponsors. Your FBO management company should be able to provide you with a detailed plan to meet your reporting requirements. Global Aviation Infrastructure LLC develops and uses enterprise wide reporting tools to ensure real time and transparent reporting for its clients.
A Fixed Based Operator is expected to have the requisite experience, expertise and skills to recognize and evaluate your requirements. A professional management company’s work isn’t just about designing a set of solutions, but also about ensuring that all efforts and strategies are being undertaken to maximize the value of the aviation assets. It takes a dedicated team of professionals with deep industry experience and an accumulation of industry leading best practices to execute on a strategic plan which delivers value in the aviation services sector.
If you want to ensure that everything is being done to maximize the value of your aviation assets you should consider using a professional FBO management company to manage your portfolio of aviation services businesses.