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The COASTAL STAR
February 2018
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A Trump organization helicopter is part of the increased airport traffic. File photo/The Coastal Star
AIRPORT
Continued from page 1 At the same time, airport fuel revenue jumped from about $49,000 in December 2016 to about $93,300 during the same time last year. The airport receives 5 percent
901 East Camino Real, 3-D, Boca Raton, Florida 33432
of the cost of fuel delivered to the two contracted fixed-base operators — or FBOs — that lease space on the airport grounds and provide aviation services, including fueling. Bennett said the combination of planes coming to Boca Raton during the presidential visit
and regular heavy traffic during the holiday week resulted in an usually high number of airtraffic operations. “It was like a perfect storm,” she said. “It was high season and there were temporary flight restrictions for an extended time.” However, a few challenges arose with so many jets visiting the small general aviation airport. “There were a couple of times when the [operators] were running out of space for overnight parking,” Bennett said. The airport has enough parking for about 100 planes. In some cases flight crews dropped off passengers and flew to the state’s west coast, where they found parking and waited until they were called back, according to Bennett. Because of temporary flight restrictions within a 10-mile radius of Mar-a-Lago, general aviation aircraft are unable to land at the Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana, the county airport in Palm Beach Gardens or at Palm Beach International Airport without additional security screenings in either Orlando or Hollywood. Scott Kohut, Boca Raton Airport’s deputy director, said that while many passengers left to go to Palm Beach or other nearby locations, some flight crews — sometimes two or three people — stayed locally. That, he said, was good for area businesses. “There were a lot of people flying in and parking for an extended time,” he said. Kohut said that at least one local restaurant owner has told him of an increase in business when flight restrictions are in place. In addition to heavy traffic during the holiday week, the airport saw increases in flight operations year-overyear during the Thanksgiving weekend and last month’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day extended holiday weekend. Bennett said in addition to the direct benefits to local businesses, there is an indirect benefit of people who may not have been to the area getting to know a little bit about it. “It’s certainly a way to promote Boca Raton,” she said. Ú