For the fifth consecutive year, U.S. aviation services provider Castle & Cooke is attending ABACE as an exhibitor and explaining to potential Pacific Rim customers the benefits of its three fixed base operations (FBOs). The company (Stand P422) operates service locations at Honolulu International Airport in Hawaii, at Los Angeles-area business aircraft destination Van Nuys Airport (VNY), and at Snohomish County Airport/Paine Field (PAE) in Everett, Washington. With the addition of U.S. Customs service at VNY nearly a year ago, all three locations now qualify as U.S. entry points.

For VNY, that improvement is especially important as it allows incoming private aircraft to avoid the congestion around busy Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). “We’ve got an alternative,” said Tony Marlow, who was recently promoted from his position as the first and only general manager of the Honolulu FBO to vice president of aviation operations and business development. “If they choose to use us, they’ll get great service, and if they use somebody else, that’s OK. But just don’t deal with LAX if you don’t have to.”

Aircraft crossing the Pacific can still clear customs at the company’s Hawaii location before arriving at mainland U.S., and the location serves as a technical stop for fueling, specializing in quick turns for long-range business jets. According to Marlow, a Gulfstream 650 or Bombardier Global can be ready to depart again approximately 35 minutes after landing. He emphasized that inbound aircraft should book with the FBO in advance, especially to arrange customs clearance. “We’re busier these days than we were even a year ago.” Marlow told AIN. “Not to say we can’t accept everyone who wants to come, but sometimes it requires a little coordination.”

Regarding traffic from China, the company has noted a slight uptick in B-registered aircraft visiting its Honolulu FBO over the past year, both as a tech stop and as a destination, and Marlow attends the show here in Shanghai to continue to cultivate that traffic. “If I see one or two new flights, I’ll think ABACE was a success, because we really want to have people thinking about us when they are coming to Hawaii and using customs clearance,” said Marlow.

Another important role the Hawaii location serves is that of a mid-Pacific stopover for short-range commercial jets coming off the Boeing assembly lines in Washington State. “Probably on average we handle two Boeing delivery flights per week,” Marlow noted. “They’re new 737-800s and -900s, and they are destined for a variety of places in Asia.”

The company, which is headquartered at VNY, also gave Vik Dhaliwal, controller of the aviation division, the additional responsibility of general manager of its California FBO. The facility recently underwent at $12 million upgrade with the addition of a new 3,716-square-meter (40,000-square-foot) hangar, a 139-sq-m (1,500-sq-ft) transient passenger lounge and two acres of ramp space. According to Marlow, business at the Van Nuys location has been growing steadily. After the bankruptcy of a major tenant, another 3,716-sq-m (40,000-sq-ft) hangar became available, and quickly filled, leaving the location’s 17,466 sq m (188,000 sq ft) of indoor aircraft storage at near capacity. In order to make room for customer offices in the main terminal, the company has relocated its administration staff to another building on the other side of the taxiway.

While Marlow acknowledged that most Asian aircraft bound for the Seattle area will land at either Seattle-Tacoma International or Boeing Field/King County International airports, he pointed out that the Castle & Cooke FBO at Paine Field, approximately 32 kilometers (20 miles) from the city, does see some Chinese-registered aircraft as well, and offers foreign trash disposal, de-icing and cargo handling.