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In-Brief

Ports signs lease to open FBO, MRO operations in Mayagüez airport

The Puerto Rico Ports Authority and J Clark Corporation signed a lease agreement of $104,711 for a six-year term to offer Fixed Base Operator (FBO) services and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) to aircraft at the Eugenio María de Hostos regional airport in Mayagüez.

As part of the agreement, J Clark Corporation will invest as a first phase, without any type of credit against rent, about $100,000 to complete improvements to a 3,694 square-foot hangar and a 20,152 square-foot open area owned by Ports.

In a second phase, they plan to expand operations and create a maintenance center, with greater capacity in the future, where it will build more hangars of this nature and be able to expand its services in the Caribbean and the United States, government officials said.

From these facilities, they will offer FBO and MRO services, aircraft remodelling, among other activities, including the sale and dispatch of AV Gas and Jet Fuel.

“We’re extremely pleased to sign this contract that will allow, for the first time, to establish fixed-base operation, maintenance, repair and aircraft overhaul services, as well as fuel sales, at the Mayagüez airport,” said Ports Authority Executive Director Joel Pizá.

Pizá recalled that recently, and as part of the joint and work between the Federal Aviation Administration and Ports, $7.9 million were invested to repair the runway; new air navigation systems were installed; a system was installed to turn on the runway lights from the aircraft cabin; and new electrical generators were purchased to power the runway in case of an emergency.

Cape Air currently operates from Mayagüez, with four daily flights to San Juan, as well as corporate aviation and general aviation for recreational pilots are carried out and it is used as part of the training and missions of both local and federal law and order forces.

Additionally, Ports obtained the subsidy of $45.2 million from federal funds to develop the construction project for a new runway at the Rafael Hernández international airport in Aguadilla.

“As part of this project, a mezzanine will be developed in the boarding area that will connect with four boarding bridges, reconfiguring the flow of passengers to prevent arriving passengers from conflicting with departing passengers which is estimated to cost $26.6 million, and its construction will begin in 2022,” said Bátiz.

This is part of the $30 million that the government got from state funds, guaranteed by the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico and the $24.2 million awarded by the FAA, for a total of $100 million.

“The long-term vision for the Aguadilla airport is a passenger and cargo hub, that includes facilities such as the Free Trade Zone, which is an attraction for cargo traffic, which benefits local industries and to identify resources to update the Aguadilla Airport Master Plan for the next 20 years,” said Bátiz.

Author Details
Author Details
Yamilet Aponte-Claudio was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She graduated from Colegio Nuestra Señora de la Providencia and is currently a junior at Sacred Heart University. Majoring in Journalism and adding a minor in sustainable development and foreign languages, she aspires to study law after obtaining her bachelor’s degree.
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