Sun Air Jets will open two new hangars this month at Camarillo Airport, bringing the aviation company’s total investment to $28 million. The air charter and aircraft management was running out of space and wanted to take advantage of less costly construction costs for the two buildings. Sun Air, among the largest aviation companies at the airport, now has a total of 120,000 square feet of hangar space, said President and COO Steve Lassetter. Like many charter and aircraft management firms across the country, Sun Air had a drop in business due to the recession. Activity has been improving but not back at the level it had been before the economy tanked. “The recovery is going to be long and slow,” Lassetter said. “Our executive hangars were full and to grow we really needed the space.” Plans for the new hangars had already been in the works when conditions began to go sour and Lassetter held off on moving ahead. But the lower cost of building was too good to pass up and construction started in February. The total cost of the project was $7.1 million. Lassetter struck a deal with another leaseholder for the 2.2 acres adjacent to the Sun Air facility. Two older hangars that had once been used for helicopters were demolished to make way for the new ones. Camarillo is one of two airports owned and operated by Ventura County. Located on the outskirts of the city and bounded on two sides by farmland, the airport makes an important contribution to the economic vitality of the city and county. Its low-key location is appreciated by high-profile passengers. An alternative Growth, however, is coming in that direction and as Van Nuys Airport becomes more congested and restrictive with the type of aircraft flying in and out, Camarillo Airport is seen as a reasonable alternative. The county wisely left enough of a buffer around the airfield so that there are no noise issues as found at Van Nuys and Santa Monica Airport, Lassetter said. The Sun Air expansion may be among the last by the fixed based operators at the airport as available adjacent land is unavailable. Channel Islands Aviation and Avantair are also located there. “That is probably true of Sun Air. There is the control tower to the east and the ultralight park to the west,” said Ventura County Director of Airports Todd McNamee. “They are built out on the land where they are.” There are about 600 aircraft based at the airfield with only 30 of those business jets. Sun Air serves many of the corporate jets on the field and it speaks well for the county and how the company is run that it does well serving that client base, Lassetter said. The Camarillo Airport has become a factor in companies deciding to buy an airplane because of the convenience of keeping it there. “Business is growing this way. The planes that are here didn’t come from other places,” Lassetter said. “We are pleased that we have not stolen the business from someplace else.” What the new hangars tells McNamee is that aviation business is doing relatively well in Ventura County. “I am a believer that community growth drives the airport’s growth,” McNamee said. “We love to see investment in our facility because it does bring more business to the community.” Download the 2010 VALLEY-AREA AVIATION COMPANIES list (pdf) (Ranked by number of passengers)
Sun Air to Open New Hangars at Camarillo Airport
