Signature Flight Support, a Global Leader in Corporate Aviation and Representing the Personal Aircraft of the Principals at Google, is the Recommended New Tenant for SJC
SAN JOSE – 2013-02-11 — /travelprnews.com/ — Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) staff intends to recommend Signature Flight Support, a global leader in managing corporate aircraft, be awarded a 50-year lease on the Airport’s West Side to develop and operate a 29-acre, $82 million facility, in which they will manage, most notably, the personal aircraft of the principals at Google, among other clients.
With SJC staff’s report to the Airport Competitiveness Committee on February 22, 2013, the evaluation of proposals for West Side development is complete. Staff intends to return to the San José City Council in early spring to recommend that Council award a ground lease and operating permit to Signature Flight Support.
Signature proposes to construct a full service, world-class fixed base operation (FBO) in partnership with Blue City Holdings, San Jose, LLC, a corporation representing the personal aircraft of the principals at Google, headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. Signature wishes to invest $82 million in developing over 270,000 square feet of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-certified facilities on approximately 29 acres with facility and service components (see five renderings here) containing:
– an executive terminal;
– hangars;
– ramp space accommodating large business jets (such as the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ737) and Boeing B767; and
– aircraft servicing facilities.
The Signature proposal offers key economic benefits to SJC, the City of San José and the region:
– $2.6 million in annual rent to the Airport;
– A minimum annual guarantee of $400,000 in annual fuel flowage fee revenues to the Airport;
– A minimum annual tax generation guarantee of $70,000 (first year) to $300,000 (year 5 and beyond);
– 150 to 200 on-Airport and regional construction jobs;
– 36 permanent on-Airport jobs; and
– 370 direct and indirect jobs generated.
“We’re pleased that the evaluation process for the development of Mineta San José International Airport’s West Side is now complete, and the recommended outcome will prove to be incredibly prosperous for SJC, the City of San José, and Silicon Valley,” said Director of Aviation Bill Sherry. “The Airport completed a $1.4 billion upgrade to the terminal area in 2010, and by adding convenient employee and public parking next to the terminals, this opened up a significant amount of land on the West Side. Now, our focus must be the proposed private development and $82 million investment of the West Side by Signature Flight Support, to support the private aviation needs of local high-tech and other companies, most notably the personal aircraft of the principals at Google.”
Proposals for development of Silicon Valley Airport’s West Side were reviewed by an evaluation panel, including: staff of SJC and the City of San José; a representative with real estate expertise from a similar-size commercial service airport, with significant corporate and general aviation activity, in California; and a former FBO executive. Signature’s proposal scored a total of 991 out of a possible 1,000 points, and the panel found the proposal to be both thorough and of very high quality, offering excellent opportunities for corporate aviation services to SJC’s general aviation customers. Signature was found to be a financially stable company with strong financial indicators and will likely be a significant economic asset for the City of San José.
Signature Flight Support is the largest FBO in the world (113 locations on five continents). It is part of BBA Aviation Corporation, a British corporation, and is a publicly traded company listed on the London Stock Exchange. In the U.S., Signature has FBO facilities at airports in Chicago/O’Hare, Teterboro/New Jersey, Boston/Logan, San Francisco and Palm Springs, among other commercial and general aviation airports.
“Signature Flight Support is proud to be chosen as the successful bidder for the West Side Development project at Mineta San Jose International Airport, to build a state-of-the art, world class FBO to serve as a key location in Signature’s global network,” said Maria Sastre, President and Chief Operating Officer of Signature Flight Support. “We’re proud to bring all of the resources that Signature can offer to further business and general aviation as well as our long-standing track record of good corporate citizenship to the San Jose and Silicon Valley communities.”
The adopted Airport Master Plan identifies the West Side of the Airport for development of facilities to accommodate a projected growth in general aviation service demand. Development areas include 44 acres located directly north of the FAA Airport Traffic Control Tower (holding 12 acres in reserve as potential mitigation area) and 15 acres in the southwest area, which is the current tie-down area for general aviation aircraft and the former San Jose State University Aviation facility. A Request for Proposals (RFP) process included a draft RFP released in June 2012 and a final RFP issued in August 2012, including an extensive effort to ensure all potential respondents had the opportunity to comment and submit proposals.
About Signature Flight Support
Signature Flight Support Corporation, a BBA Aviation plc company, is the world’s largest fixed-base operation (FBO) and distribution network for business aviation services which include fueling, hangar and office rentals, ground handling, maintenance and a wide range of crew and passenger amenities at strategic domestic and international locations. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Signature Flight Support currently operates at more than 100 locations in the United States, Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. For more information, please visit www.signatureflight.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/signatureflightsupport. Follow Signature Flight Support on Twitter: SignatureFBO.
About Mineta San José International Airport
Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) is Silicon Valley’s airport, a self-supporting enterprise owned and operated by the City of San José. SJC served 8.3 million passengers in 2012, and offers approximately 120 daily flights on 12 domestic and international carriers to 30 nonstop destinations.
The airport’s $1.3 billion comprehensive modernization project, completed in 2010, makes SJC the most technologically advanced airport in the nation and the first terminal awarded LEED Silver certification for environmental sustainability. Silicon Valley’s airport is located in San José, California’s third largest city and the nation’s tenth largest city. For more airport information, visit www.flysanjose.com/fl.
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