Quote: In recent years, the domestic shipping industry for FBO industry is very concerned about the direction and focus of the business as a general aviation industry. This will combine the current development of the United States FBO industry, from conceptual and operational characteristics of the key elements of FBO industry development are analyzed to invest in the construction industry as a reference.

FBO is mainly based on the airport, for all types of aviation users (mainly general aviation users) provide refueling, maintenance, hangar leasing and other services at a profit, in essence, FBO is not a specialized technical jobs, and is a comprehensive airport ground service providers. By the author of several U.S. specialty FBO operators investigation and analysis, summed up the development of several aspects of FBO industry needs attention.

Convenient simplification is the foundation

For users, simplifying their choice FBO's convenience is a major consideration. In the United States, through the FBO ramp into the passenger virtually no security checks for charter flights, flight information confirmed by the aircraft owner or flight operating company, the captain is responsible to confirm the identity check, and without security FBO inspection.Even if it is located in the transport airport FBO, visiting foreign visitors need only FBO led to the reception staff. In addition to the focus located near some of the city's major civil airports and airport transportation needs verification through documents, officers, other staff and even by FBO boarding documents do not need. Even large transport airport like New York, Washington such sensitive areas, such as identity does not involve an international flight, passengers can be confirmed as long as the captain.

Convenient program can greatly improve the efficiency of FBO, but also to protect the user's privacy. In the U.S., many heads and representatives of FAA FBO's repeated statement: excessive security checks and restrictions are not conducive to the development of general aviation, they do not affect the safety of flight transportation, construction, navigation users not to carry out safety checks.

However, no security does not mean giving up safety management, the U.S. approach is by way of facilities and management procedures, the "invisible" security management.Performing private mission, FBO management activities only allows the tarmac in front of the boarding staff FBO, and not allow them to enter the airport airside area. For example, when a delegation from the Chinese side in the Fresno airport FBO ramp visit, U.S. personnel will send a three-member team, one person is responsible for the training group introduced a variety of situations, one person is responsible for controlling the range of walking training group members, in order to prevent strayed into the airport control zone, there is a person responsible for controlling all incoming and outgoing FBO entrance ramp to prevent disorderly persons access ramp.

On personnel and vehicle control, airport take the principle of responsibility slice each FBO and relevant units responsible for their apron belongs, into the airport quarantine vehicles and personnel must be unified registration and management. FBO company's own vehicles usually need to install a special IC card and remote control buttons to open the door to enter the ramp quarantine, under the customer's vehicle in case FBO personnel guide, to enter into the apron. In the specific ramp management, the National Air Transportation Association has developed a complete set of ground service processes and standards, popular staff welcome, became the basis of employee orientation.

In addition, working closely FBO and customs, border control officers is the key to improving the efficiency of international customer service. In general, a customs airport by FBO personnel responsible for checking and documents sent to the border customs office for international missions some important airports and can even provide customs clearance services to the officers on the plane.

FBO

Optimization Service is the core

The whole territory of the United States has about more than 3,000 various types of FBO, the FBO service, the network, specialization and diversification are the main trends in the development of future FBO.

Network

With the improved client service requirements, the only way to become a large FBO network development. To the world's largest current FBO - Signature company, for example, Signature BBA Group companies belonging to the British company, is a global FBO, currently has 100 branches all over the world. In the United States, from California in the west to the east central Kansas and then to Maryland are dotted with Signature service points, forming a network layout.

Unlike civil aviation transport aviation, travel is often a lack of advance preparation, the special period festivals, and other major conferences, official flight volume will increase significantly, service guarantee greater difficulty. Signature think: FBO apron can decide how many planes at the same time to protect, but to protect the operating efficiency depends on the ability to FBO services and coordination with neighboring airports. Therefore, the network, systematic scheduling and organizational management capacity building is an important direction FBO service support capabilities, each branch of the small number of Signature, employees of small service point only a dozen people, many not several 10 persons. However, once a service point of the flight plan tight security, the various branches can provide strong support for immediate manpower to ensure quality of service.

Specialization

In addition to network Outsider, professional service capabilities FBO has become a trend, which is due to the large ground services by economic fluctuations, and the technical threshold is low, competition is relatively intense development of certain technical threshold of high value-added professional services conducive FBO respond to economic fluctuations, while avoiding excessive competition in the market. Founded in 1967, Jet Aviation is one of the typical, Jet Aviation Teterboro Airport in New York State, is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics Group, the main development of the Gulfstream business jet maintenance series featuring professional FBO.

Jet Aviation is mainly set on the world's 24 major airports branches, with 5,100 employees, is involved in Gulfstream aircraft repair, maintenance, renovation, hosting, training, charter and other aspects. In custody, maintenance and hosting services and other modes of business jet fleet up to 1700, is the world's largest business jet airframe maintenance providers. At Teterboro Airport, Jet Aviation FBO services over 3.5 million times a year business jet takeoffs and landings, representing 25% of the airport's annual movements.

Diversification

For there is no ability to form a small network layout FBO, changed the face of the general aviation market structure, the traditional terrestrial services or rely on oil sales profit model unsustainable, so many small FBO actively developing maintenance, training and aircraft sales and other downstream market, located near Los Angeles, California Threshold aviation is one of the typical representatives. Threshold Aviation based in Chino Airport to provide maintenance, modification and interior decoration as the main business, but also for business jet customers with fuel, hangars, lounges, flight plans and other conventional FBO services.Because Chino Airport is a general airport, only some general aviation users, and there is no scheduled flights, so Threshold Aviation developed a strong ability to repair and interior modifications to attract customers. The company won the FAR-145 repair qualification, maintenance staff also has A & P maintenance license can provide multiple models maintenance, release, inspection, body modification and many other businesses, FAA and even the appointment of the company's technical staff appointed as repair works representatives can work directly responsible for the development and approval of a number of professional maintenance program.

Threshold Aviation owner is a retired fighter pilot, but also a flying enthusiast. He also has a variety of civil aviation pilot's license and rating. So the company has many characteristics of maintenance services, such as modification of World War II aircraft maintenance, modification maintenance decommissioned military aircraft. The company even received a maintenance contract for NASA research aircraft, and can be designed to repair and retrofit solutions for NASA's experimental aircraft.

In addition to maintenance, modification services, Threshold Aviation also has a strong operational service capabilities. The company has run the qualification FAR-135 section (with the Chinese legal system is different is that the U.S. FAR-91 part to operate and run no need to run the escrow certification), direct operating aircraft, while also hosting a private jet charter flight and conducting . The company operated 20 aircraft, of which 10 are in escrow for private aircraft, 10 are used for external charter business.

In the company's annual revenue Threshold Aviation, the aircraft maintenance accounted for 50% of the public charter revenues accounted for 20%, 20% escrow aircraft, refueling and other services accounted for about 10%. As can be seen, the traditional terrestrial services in the composition of the company's revenue has become a very small part. In the company's 70 employees, 50 maintenance personnel, dispatchers two full-time pilots 5, 10 part-time pilots, fuel service personnel 5. In addition, a number of part-time employment of the crew responsible for the management and marketing personnel are only three people. Efficient management system is an important safeguard to protect FBO obtain profits.

Maintenance is a major direction of the small FBO business expansion, however, many types of general aviation models, a single model fleet of small, flying relatively small, relatively small repair business, get a lot of maintenance license model relative navigation difficult and costly.Therefore, some FBO often dependent on a number of manufacturers to carry out related business, located in Kansas's YingLing Aviation is one of the typical representative, YingLing Aviation located in Wichita Mid-continent Airport, mainly for Cessna fleet maintenance services, as well as Conventional oil and other ground services. Companies have the ability to repair all authorized Cessna propeller models, has 120 employees, the vast majority of the crew. In addition to these maintenance operations, YingLing Aviation also provides aviation gasoline and aviation kerosene oil business, as the company opened 24 hours a day, good service and even fight for the business part of the fuel supply feeder flights and Air Force aircraft. For some business jet customers, FBO hangar rental fees are an important source of income, using YingLing Aviation's hangar is 200 square feet (18.6 square meters) unit of income, a small aircraft hangar month's rent $ 1,500, the price relative to the jet customers is acceptable, so the company's hangar rental business development is also relatively fast.

Self-management is the norm

Strictly speaking, FBO industry is not a professional form, it is a collection of multiple industry platforms mode. The platform is based on a fixed distinctive locations - airports, aviation-oriented users by providing value-added services to earn money. This service may be just refueling, clean ground service, there may be maintenance, modification and other high-tech services, may also be extended to flight training, maintenance training and even direct public charter operations and other businesses. Different business models by different industry regulations bound, it is difficult to use some kind of standardized regulations alone, therefore, the industry self-management has become a normal feature FBO's management.

FBO in the United States each exchange process, I found that almost all of the FBO operators have made it clear that they do not need to comply with any FAA or the establishment of local governments to set professional standards, but at the time of registration companies registered in the local industrial and commercial bureau can. If companies are willing, you can take the initiative to look for a third party audit of the quality of service standards, but not government coercion. Enhance the content and quality of service FBO entirely dependent on market competition.

Even if it comes to security management, for general airport, it is only required for each respective regional FBO jurisdiction and responsibility is very clear, any foreign objects or personnel to enter the relevant FBO operators will cause people's attention, does not appear management loopholes. For transportation airport, because involving public air passenger safety, so here apron surrounding FBO operators have set up a special technical equipment, personnel or vehicle once broke the jurisdiction of the FBO, the tower and the airport directing departments immediately known, and immediately sent checks to verify, by the FBO to bear the relevant responsibility, which makes FBO extremely concerned about the safety of the airport.

Balance of interests is the key

FBO interests between the airport is the key point of impact FBO development. Generally speaking, FBO investment model include the following: First, investors FBO airport land leased by the investor to invest in operations, airport fencing import and export, and designated special ramp to the FBO use; two No customer is interested in investment operations when FBO, investment in the construction of the airport itself and entrusted with the operation, but this rarely occurs, often in extremely remote airports. In either mode, the airport to ensure that the principles of fairness and openness of the FBO that does not limit the FBO into the airport, but the airport does not conduct direct FBO operations and compete with other FBO.

FAA FBO for the introduction of no clearly defined, but based on the introduction of the principle of the airport FBO, often introducing at least two FBO, to form a competitive market, but generally not more than five, because it is too fierce market competition will lead FBO operating conditions decline, eventually leading to the airport management chaos.

It should be noted that, in addition to large transport off-site, the most common airport owner is the local government, so the airport is not the main purpose of profit, which charges as long as they meet the daily operation and maintenance of the airport can be, therefore, common airports often do not charge landing fees, car park costs are very low. For transportation airport, landing fees only to 12,000 pounds (5.4 tons) or more aircraft to receive. Low shipping fee reduces the user's cost, and promote the development of the shipping industry. Daily rental fee from the airport usually land around the airport, because they do not for profit, the rent is very cheap.

In conventional fuel sales management, airport authorities as a total supplier of oil annually in accordance with the FBO demand for ordering and distribution of oil, in order to protect the FBO business development, the airport itself usually does not involve the sale of oil, while the airport to various fuel oil supply unit provided the price is the same, but the sales price based FBO services it provides differ, the lower the price of oil is not more recognized by customers.

In summary, the healthy general aviation FBO industry should be a good service and convenient program for customers of ground services integrator, in this area, appropriate market competition, good self-management skills and interests and the airport The balance, which is the premise of safeguarding the healthy development of the industry. Therefore, our FBO industry navigable areas of development, you first need to be top-level design from the policy level, the FBO resources transferred from the control of the airport to build up the quality of services, in order to ultimately promote the healthy development of the shipping industry.