The owners of Five Rivers Aviation broke ground last week on a new FBO at California’s Livermore Municipal Airport (LVK). The $5 million facility will include a 6,000-sq-ft terminal and 25,000 sq ft of hangar space in its initial phase of construction. Future phases could add another 50,000 sq ft of hangar space. “It’s nice when you can design and build an FBO from the ground up,” said Pete Sandhu, company owner and president. “We’re not limited by a 50-year-old building that needs renovation; we’re building exactly the right facility.”

When completed by the end of this year, the terminal will include passenger lounges, conference and meeting rooms and a pilot lounge equipped with Boeing 747 first-class cabin seats. Theater room, snooze rooms, showers and flight planning center round out the pilot amenities, while charter customers will have access to dedicated catering kitchens with dishwashers and laundry facilities. The San Francisco-area airport had been looking to privatize its FBO services for several years, and Five Rivers, in partnership with Epic Aviation, will assume the fuel concession from the City of Livermore.

LVK, which has a 5,253-foot runway, is undergoing a building boom with a new administration building, another hangar complex and restaurant currently under construction.