Business View Magazine | July 2022

199 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 7 More game fences will also be added this year to mitigate wildlife intrusion. “It is an interesting time to run an airport,” Mason states, “because COVID seems to have changed the whole landscape. You had a lot of people who did not want to travel commercial airlines and so there has been a trend to use flight services, aircraft leasing, jet share, or even to buy their own aircraft. During the pandemic we sold more AVGas than Jet Fuel – this has kind of levelled out now, but I am not sure it is going to go completely back to the way it used to be. Of course, the current price of fuel is putting a bit of a damper on that, and we are not seeing as many leisure flights. Right now, it is mostly corporate or business flying.” Bay City Regional is working with TxDOT to create a new Master Plan and Airport Layout Plan. The hope is that this will allow them to see just how much land it is possible to turn over to land lease, how many new hangars could be built, and where exactly to put things. Mason feels it will give them clarity as to what the maximum build-out is, and make sure they are headed in the right direction. He notes, “The one thing that I think we have to look at next is a restaurant. I am constantly being asked if there is one here. People are not looking for a Michelin Star or anything – they want a mom-and-pop restaurant that can focus on some of the food we do really well here… seafood from the bay, brisket, and some great Mexican food. It is not just pilots that are asking for a restaurant. I know folks that just like planes who would like to come out here to eat and watch the flights.” The airport team works closely with the Matagorda County Economic Development Corporation, especially with Scott Hardwick who heads up that organization, and who Mason describes as “a great asset to the county. He is the one who was working hard to bring the two BAY C I TY REGIONAL A I RPORT       www.baycitychamber.org | 979-245-8333