New airport management ups sales, growth

David Allen has managed the Wharton Regional Airport for just over one year. In that time, fuel sales have skyrocketed, construction on a new corporate hangar has begun and there is a waiting list of tenants.

Allen took over operations of the airport last October after the facility's Fixed Based Operator - Pioneer Aviation - severed its contract with the city.

Immediately, Allen began upgrading the fuel storage tanks and convinced the city a fuel truck would benefit the airport.

On Monday, Allen said the truck, which allows jets to be filled with Jet-A fuel on the tarmac, has already proven invaluable.

Airport officials had originally expected to sell about 42,000 gallons of fuel this past year, with a profit of a half cent per gallon. That would have brought in about $21,000.

Instead, 83,000 gallons were sold, at a profit of .60 cents per gallon. That resulted in a total profit of more than $49,000.

"About 10,000 gallons of the 83,000 we sold were because of the truck," Allen said.

Fuel sales are anticipated to take off even more this coming month as the hunting season kicks off."November is the biggest Jet-A month of the year," Allen said.

A large project now under construction is a new corporate hangar. The hangars are designed to be used for aviation oriented businesses and for aircraft.

Not yet built, the hangar already has no vacancy.