MidAmerica Airport Signs Up A New Tenant
AVMATS Maintains Aircraft
Also, Phoenix Provider Update
Mascoutah, Illinois (November 16, 2001) -- MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, which is about to lose its only commercial airline, now has a new tenant -- signed, sealed and delivered.
The St. Clair County Public Building Commission approved a lease Thursday between the county and Aviation Material and Technical Support, or AVMATS, a Chesterfield, Mo., aircraft maintenance company.
Insurance information must still be added to the lease, and the St. Clair County Board will need to approve it at its December meeting. But St. Clair County Administrator Dan Maher said he expects the company to start operating at MidAmerica next fall.
"It's good news," he said. "These are top quality guys."
MidAmerica Airport Director Floyd "Rick" Hargrove called the deal with AVMATS "a sure thing," and said the company expects to get a $3.3 million federal aviation improvement grant for construction of a new building at the airport.
AVMATS will initially build a 12,000-square-foot hangar at the airport with an additional 2,500 square feet of office space. The company does hope to expand its business at the airport, and have three hangars there.
AVMATS maintains corporate planes and carries an inventory of aircraft parts and accessories. The company also provides other services, including corporate charter service. AVMATS will employ about 50 people within three years at MidAmerica.
Also on Thursday, the Public Building Commission approved a letter of understanding between the county and Phoenix Provider. The start-up air cargo company is still looking to secure financing, and told the Public Building Commission the letter of understanding would help them do that.
"These guys are still trying to put this business together," Hargrove said.
Phoenix Provider has until the end of December to provide St. Clair County with its financing plan. If the cargo company is successful in obtaining financing, it would build a 100,000-square-foot hangar and another 31,500-square-foot air cargo center.
Information provided by the Belleville News-Democrat
David van den Berg Article © the Belleville News-Democrat
George Pawlaczyk contributed to this story.
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