St. Joseph OKs key agreement with new Rosecrans airport operator, outlines plan for new hangar construction
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- The City of St. Joseph is moving forward on a high-profile agreement with a new airport operator at Rosecrans Memorial Airport and outlining plans for the construction of new aircraft facilities.
City councilmembers unanimously approved a lease agreement Dec. 8 with Pan-Am Flight Services to serve as the next Fixed-Based Operator (FBO) at Rosecrans Memorial Airport, granting the company authority to provide a wide-range of aviation services for civilian and commercial aircraft at the airport, from refueling and maintenance/repairs to offering flight school and operating facilities to accommodate pilots.
The new lease agreement includes an initial five-year-term with four additional 5-year options to make it a possible 25-year agreement.
Pan-Am Flight Services, which includes local business investor Steve Craig and Gary Patterson with Express Flight, is one part of a revitalized and growing nationwide network of new Pan Am-branded businesses purchased by Craig roughly a year and a half ago, decades after the original Pan Am World Airways ceased operations in 1991.
Pan-Am will assume ownership of the existing FBO complex, which includes a 28,000-square-foot barrel hangar and a 15,000-square-foot aircraft storage/maintenance facility, among other smaller facilities.
“It's an extraordinary opportunity to utilize that brand in a number of things, to brand a Pan Am FBO here in St. Joseph and have the first one here in the United States," Craig told News-Press NOW in September.
A separate nonbinding agreement includes unofficial terms and conditions for a wide-range of planned facility improvements by Pan-Am as part of a new FBO complex, which will require approval with future construction contracts.
Pan-Am intends to construct a new 30,000-square-foot hangar that can accommodate both small and large aircraft, as well as larger business jets like the Gulfstream 700. Construction plans include a second smaller hangar and 4,000-square feet of lobby and office space.
A full plan for re-developing the site is set to be finalized by April or May, with construction to begin no later than December 2026 according to the agreement.
The move with Pan-Am comes several months after a heavily-scrutinized bidding process that saw multiple FBO bidding groups levy accusations to City Council about an improper bid scoring process for the key airport agreement.
Apex Aero Center was initially selected for the FBO agreement but rescinded its proposal in August just days after Craig accused city staff of improperly scoring bid proposals during a City Council meeting.
A second bidding group, St. Joseph Air Center, which includes FlyTech Pilot Academy co-founder Lute Atieh, has raised separate concerns about the process and the impact it had on the company not being selected. The company is weighing multiple options in wake of the agreement.
"Out of respect for ongoing legal considerations, I am not able to formally comment on the lease at this time. What I can tell you is that we are continuing to evaluate the situation and will take the necessary steps to protect the interests of the airport, its tenants, and the community," Atieh told the St. Joseph News-Press.
Authorization by the Federal Aviation Administration remains one of the last key hurdles before the city and Pan-Am Flight Services can move forward on the agreement.
