Saturday was "by far the busiest day" in the history of aviation services provider Atlantic Aviation, a company spokesperson told AIN. This record was broken in large part as the result of business at just two of the FBO chain's 66 facilities—Louisville, Ky., and Las Vegas, which together handled more than 870 aircraft and pumped nearly a half-million gallons of fuel that day for private aircraft flying in for dueling sports events: the Kentucky Derby and the Pacquiao-Mayweather welterweight boxing match, respectively.
In fact, its Las Vegas McCarran International location handled more than 270 aircraft on its ramp for the much anticipated boxing match and pumped more than 250,000 gallons of fuel. Meanwhile, the Plano, Texas-based chain, which operates the lone FBO at Louisville International Airport-Standiford Field, saw its usual Kentucky Derby Day bonanza, part of this year’s record crowd to witness the annual Run for the Roses. In fact, its Louisville facility hosted more than 600 aircraft for the iconic horse race and pumped an additional 225,000 gallons of fuel.
With the two premier sporting events taking place on opposite sides of the country, but with enough time for a dedicated sports fan to attend both events through the use of aviation, there was surprisingly little cross-pollination, according to industry data tracker FlightAware. It noted only two private jets, a Gulfstream V and a Challenger 300, departing the Louisville area around 6 p.m., before the post time for the Derby, and heading to Las Vegas.