Charlotte County Airport Authority commissioners approved a land lease agreement with a Miami-area firm to build a hangar large enough to accommodate two single-body commercial jets for maintenance and repairs. The 5-acre site also will house an office, ramp and parking facilities.
The firm, NAS MRO Services LLC, can now move forward to the application, permitting and construction phases of the project after the CCAA approved the lease agreement June 20.
Because of the Aviation Maintenance School at Punta Gorda Airport, NAS MRO chose to locate its first maintenance and repair overhaul facility in Punta Gorda, company Director of Operations and chief operating officer Nestor Camacho said.
Camacho said it is difficult to find airframe– and powerplant–trained mechanics in Miami.
“We hire mechanics but have to train them,” he said.
The aviation school, run by Charlotte Technical College and part of the Charlotte County Public School district, graduates students who are already trained mechanics ready to enter the workforce.
Camacho said he is excited his company will be able to do complete work on planes. Currently, the company’s facilities repair parts before sending them to an MRO to be installed on the planes.
Comacho said his company has been repairing about 80% of the parts of aircraft.
It has the capability to make airframe repairs, meaning the structure of the aircraft, power plant (mechanics) and avionics and accessories, including the landing gear.
But lacking was a facility big enough to accommodate the entire plane for MRO operations.
NAS MRO has been in business since 1997 and has experience servicing various aircraft, including Boeing, Embraer and Airbus.
The initial lease term is 30 years with three five-year optional renewal periods.
Under terms of the lease, after the first six months, during which applications and permits are sought, the firm will pay $3,000 a month and after construction, $106,041 plus tax annually, or $8,836 plus tax, monthly for the first five years.
“I am very excited to get the lease to you,” airport authority CEO James Parish said to Comacho.
Commissioner Robert Hancik said the lease agreement “benefits both sides” and that it will be a great addition to the airport.
Authority Chair Paul Andrews, who has a background in airframe and power plant having started his career in the Air Force and as a former flight engineer for commercial airlines, said, “I always wanted to see an MRO here.”
Hancik asked Parish about access from the MRO building for the heavier aircraft to the airfield runway system. The hangar will be built near Taxiway Gulf that was upgraded and is 50 feet wide, Parish said.
