Pilot and crew services at Chandler Municipal Airport (CHD) are getting an upgrade. Gate One, the airport’s new fixed-base operator, has taken over the administration of concierge services for tenants and visitors to the airport — giving airport patrons an elevated flight experience while visiting CHD.
A fixed-base operator, or FBO, is a private company given the right to provide services to patrons at an airport. These services include a number of necessities pilots, crew members and passengers require while traveling, including fueling, hangaring, concierge services for rental cars, hotels or catering, maintenance and lavatory servicing, and much more.
The goal of an FBO is to provide the aircraft and its crew with everything they need while at the airport and to prepare them for their departures from CHD.
Upgrading the airport’s FBO is about more than providing services, according to Ryan Reeves, Airport Business Coordinator for Chandler Municipal Airport. It is about providing excellent customer service to patrons as soon as they step off the plane.
“In a lot of ways, the FBO is the face of the airport,” Reeves said. “When planes land at CHD, the FBO greets them and provides them with their immediate needs. For people visiting Chandler for the first time, the FBO provides that first interaction and can serve as the gateway to the City.”
Reeves compared the work of the FBO to the work of street crews or utility providers who keep the City running. When the FBO is taking care of airport users, the airport can run smoothly and continue to provide high-quality services.
“The FBO is an integral part of any airport,” Reeves said. “An FBO that is functioning at a high level is an indication that airport users are being well taken care of.”
The FBO at Chandler Municipal Airport wears many hats. Beyond providing top-notch concierge services to airport users, GateOne manages a fleet of planes for private rentals and flight instruction, operates a full-service aircraft maintenance facility on the premises and maintains an on-site building where users can purchase pilot supplies or relax in between flights.
The acquisition includes an 8,000-square-foot office building with reception, a pilot shop, flight instructor offices, classroom and study areas, a conference room that seats 12, a break room, and lounge areas, as well as a 14,000-square-foot executive hangar able to house turbo-props and all medium size jets, and an 8,000-square-foot maintenance hangar. It also includes all of Chandler Air Service’s business lines: full FBO services, a renowned part 141 flight school, aircraft rentals—with a fleet of 21 aircraft—and maintenance.
Reeves said GateOne has expressed interest in expanding and upgrading more airport services over time. Some possible upgrades to the FBO may include renovated interiors to the building, upgrades to crew and passenger lounges, and expanded offerings for jet fuel services.
“The team at Chandler has historically done an upstanding job at addressing the aviation community’s needs,” said Thomas Mathew, president and CEO of GateOne. “GateOne looks forward to helping support the airport’s growth as business and leisure travel in southern Phoenix booms. Our goal is to build upon the FBO’s solid foundation to enhance the local aviation community’s experience with GateOne Chandler as a premier gateway to metro Phoenix—an experience that will match the level of service and amenities found at GateOne Cedar City and GateOne Stinson.”
Stay Connected to Chandler Municipal Airport
Over the course of nearly a century, the Chandler Municipal Airport has grown from humble beginnings into one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country.
Today, Chandler serves more than 228,000 operations each year. The airport hosts a variety of general aviation activities, including flight training, charter flights, military exercises, public safety operations, aircraft maintenance, avionics and aircraft sales.
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