FIXED-BASE OPERATORS

How does the modern FBO meet community aviation needs and provide essential transportation service?

How does the modern FBO meet community aviation needs and provide essential transportation services?

Introduction

This paper presents an overview of the operations performed by the fixed based operators (FBOs). The paper explores the various functions of the FBOs that facilitate the civil and community aviation and transportation. The modern FBO meets community aviation needs like fueling, aircraft maintenance, scheduling, airport accommodation and passenger recreation. In addition, FBOs also indirectly facilitate transportation services like taxis for passengers and pilots. On a generic level, FBOs cater for the needs of general aviation. This paper will briefly explore how and where FBOs fit into the general aviation industry. Finally the paper presents investigations of operations in Signature Flight Support that is the FBO component of BBA Aviation plc.

Discussion and Analysis

The behind-the-scenes people who keep the planes flying are known in the industry as fixed-base operators. Commonly referred to as FBO, or less often as a Flight Support Operator (FSO), a fixed-base operator fulfills a business function that is absolutely required for general aviation to survive. However, FBOs exist at all airports, not just at general aviation airports.

The Functions of FBOs

General aviation sales, service, and support operations are carried out by free-enterprise businesses that are known in the industry as fixed-base operators, or H30s. By the very nature of the aviation business, any of these operations must be concentrated at or close to an airport, usually at one or two spots at an airport, and often while sharing the airport with air carrier and military operations (Dewson 2006). The FBOs provide the ground services and support required by general aviation and, at some locations, the major airlines and military units. They are comparable to the collocation of all automobile support services (gas station, garage, body shop. parts, sales, driver training, and so on) at one site (Cohen 1993).

Significance of Fixed-Base Operators

As noted previously, fixed-base operators vary widely in size, scope of services offered, type of facility, size of investment, and management expertise. They may range from the small grass-field mom-and-pop shops that offer minimum services to huge complexes that service the large general aviation business jets and are located at hub airports (Dewson 2006). No matter how large or how small, they share a challenge: they must operate at a profit In a narrowly defined business, or they will go belly-up. There can be no general aviation air transportation without a nationwide system of FBOs to support it. Not only are FBOs the interface between the manufacturers and the public, and thus the principal outlet for aircraft sales, but they also provide fueling, routine (and major) maintenance, inspection and relicensing facilities, storage, and general aviation terminal buildings. No one can plan a trip by general aviation aircraft unless such support facilities are available at both ends of the trip (at least fueling capability). FBOs are the backbone of general aviation transportation (Richardson et al ...