Business View Magazine | December 2018

130 131 Aviat ion Archi tecture, Engineer ing & Planning Serving clients in 50 states. cshqa . com Proudly serving Fresno-Yosemite International Airport for over 15 years since the Great Recession in 2010.Weber reports that the Airport’s FBOs lease hangar space and are currently at 90 percent capacity, and SkyWest Airlines, one of the largest in the country, oper- ates a maintenance base at FAT. It is one of ten such bases the company operates to maintain its fleet of 325 aircraft, 283 of which are jets.At Fresno Yosemite, the airline employs some 170 mechanics and skilled workers. In addition to all of its aviation-related businesses, Fresno Yosemite also hosts other types of non-aero- nautical operations.“We have three or four develop- ers that have been longtime tenants on the airport who have developed office space,”Weber says.“We also have a couple of convenience stores and a gas station.There are also a couple of hotels, and we have a fully functional municipal 18-hole golf course that we acquired in 1947 and which we are basically holding for future aviation related devel- opment.”These properties, the majority of which are not on the airfield proper, but on airport property, are seen as being key to supporting the aeronautical endeavors, and are part of the revenue stream that contributes to making FAT self-sufficient. Looking to the future, the Airport has embarked on a program branded FATforward.Meikle says,“We have just now completed a 20-year Master Plan for the Airport, looking at five, 10, and 20-year horizons. We looked at all aspects of the Airport: the parking, the terminal, commercial activities, general aviation, corporate,military, and government use. It is an A to Z plan looking at the growth in Central California and the way that our Airport has to respond to that growth. So, over the next five years we plan to invest $180 million in capital projects.That is a very sub- stantial expenditure for an airport our size. FATfor- ward will include a combination of airfield work, a parking structure, and strategic terminal expansion FRESNO YOSEMITE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT work.” “We have used financial metrics for our industry to determine properly balanced parking rates and air- line charges so that we can work towards aligning themwith industry standards,”he continues.“We are also going to be looking at other revenue streams which we currently do not capture. For example, we do not currently charge for any ground trans- portation activity and we want to ensure that all users and stakeholders of the airport pay their fair and reasonable share and no more.Most airports, including FAT, charge a passenger facility charge, and we intend to leverage that existing fee to help pay for our expansion program. There will also be Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding of the $180 million spending we anticipate over the next five years; approximately $70 million will be paid for through airport improvement grants from the FAA. These grants will be dedicated almost entirely to airfield work. There is some taxiway re- configuration we have to address, as well as main runway reconstruction.” FATforward will also include a parking expan- sion, adding 600 stalls with two decks, thereby creating a total of 900 covered stalls on three levels. There will also be expansion in the ter- minal which will include an expanded outbound baggage facility, an expanded security checkpoint, a new east concourse with two new dual-use gates –domestic and international - an expanded international arrivals facility, and more support and concession space.