Carver Aero, which operates a pair of FBOs in Iowa, will make that a trio with the acquisition of Advanced Air, the lone service provider at Council Bluffs Municipal Airport. In addition to the 7,800-sq-ft FBO terminal, the purchase includes Advanced Air’s flight school, one of the largest in the Midwest, as well as its aircraft charter, maintenance, and avionics operations, according to Lisa LaMantia, the company’s former owner who will join the Carver team and continue to manage the facility. “Carver plans to expand that service which will result in better-paying careers including [for] flight instructors, charter pilots, maintenance crews, and avionics technicians,” she said.

The company, which was approved by the airport authority, is now in negotiations on a new long-term lease, according to authority executive director Andy Biller. “Carver plans to make our airport a magnet for our community and for a new breed of customers, as well as a nationally-known place for a stop-over and to refuel,” he said, adding the board especially likes the company’s established apprenticeship programs that it developed in cooperation with community colleges.

Carver has gained experience as a sole-source service provider, operating the lone FBOs at Davenport and Muscatine Municipal Airports.