MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – Marquette County is moving closer to taking over Fixed-Base Operations, or FBO, at Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport.
An FBO provides general airport services such as fueling, aircraft maintenance, repair, and various amenities to the pilot, crew, and passengers.
“One of the primary services is to provide fuel to aircraft, whether it be a private airplane, corporate jet, charter hauler, or the airlines,” said Marquette County Administrator Duane DuRay.
During a November 25th county board meeting, the board of commissioners voted to take over FBO duties from Kubic Aviation Services, a move that the board hopes will save money and allow the county to have greater control over this service, critical to general aviation customers.
“Our end users will not see any hiccup in any of the flights or any of the operations at the airport,” assured DuRay.
In preparation for the transition, the board recently approved the purchase of two 5000-gallon jet refueling trucks and one 3000-gallon tanker truck at a cost of more than $800,000 from the airport’s reserve fund.
County leaders say the equipment is part of a broader effort to ensure operations run smoothly when the county assumes control on May first.
“Marquette County stands behind our goal to make this the best-in-class airport that we possibly can, and controlling all of the aspects of it is just the peace that we feel is absolutely necessary,” said DuRay.
In other airport news, United Airlines will begin service between Marquette and Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on May 21. United will now compete with American Airlines on the Marquette to Chicago route, which may lead to lower fares.
