As the calendar moves to winter and the weather in Utah turns colder, activity at Atlantic Aviation Salt Lake City begins to heat up. The facility is located within 45 minutes of more than 10 ski resorts, including the famous Snowbird, which is little more than a half-hour drive, and the arrival of snow means “long days of aircraft arrivals, departures, deicing, and the kickoff to the busiest season in GA traffic for us,” explained Brandon Leindl, the location’s general manager.

Atlantic has had a presence at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) since 2015, when it won an RFP as the second service provider on the field. It moved in to a terminal formerly occupied by the Salt Lake Jet Center, even as it planned to eventually demolish it to make way for a new facility. As Atlantic began servicing aircraft that December, it also began to renovate the nearby vacant Hangar 4 and its ramp, which it would move to the following year, as it started clearing away the older terminal. In 2017, the temporary facility handled 5,000 GA and business aircraft.

The new 17-acre complex, which took 16 months to build, made its debut this past February, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in April. It features an airy, 12,700-sq-ft wood-, stone-, and copper-clad terminal with a soaring lobby ceiling, an observation lounge, a fireplace, a refreshment bar with a freestyle soda dispenser, a pair of A/V-equipped conference rooms seating 8 and 16, a pilots' lounge with snooze room, crew cars, and onsite car rental from Go Rentals, Hertz, and Avis.

Befitting its location, the company can also provide crews spending the day in town with complimentary ski passes at Snowbird.

Also included in the project was a pair of 30,000-sq-ft heated hangars, which can accommodate the latest big business jets. They are home to eight private aircraft, ranging from a pair of G450s to a TBM 930.

Atlantic also added a new fuel farm with horizontal tanks that hold 90,000 gallons of jet-A and 10,000 gallons of 100LL. It is served by three jet refuelers, including a pair of 5,000-gallon tankers and one 7,000-gallon model, and one 1,000-gallon avgas truck.

All told, Atlantic spent upwards of $24 million on the new complex, including strengthening a portion of its ramp to be able to handle jumbo airliners.

Open 24/7, the facility has a staff of 25, which undergoes Atlantic’s in-house line and customer service training. Given its proximity to ski country, it’s not surprising that the FBO’s busiest period runs from December through March, and it has its own equipment to provide Type I and Type IV deicing in the winter weather. Increasing that traffic even more is the annual Sundance Film Festival, which is held in the third week of January, which in turn leads into Presidents Weekend. Another boost in customers comes during the summer convention season.

“We pride ourselves on our outstanding guest service. For us, it isn’t about what we are doing, but rather why we are doing it,” Leindl told AIN, adding the “why” is because his staff enjoys helping guests. “It is about making someone’s day special, making them feel like family, and ensuring they had a great experience while visiting our operation, regardless of the 'what' we did.”

In September, the facility hosted JetBlue’s first annual “Fly Like a Girl” event, which was conducted in partnership with the JetBlue Foundation, JetBlue Equals, STEM, and the FBO to introduce girls to careers in aviation. The event provided opportunities for girls ages 8 to 14 to learn firsthand about careers above the wing, below the wing, and behind the scenes at an airline, directly from women working in aviation and STEM. There were approximately 80 girls in attendance including daughters of JetBlue crewmembers, local Girls Scouts, and students from the STEM Utah initiative. “From aviation services to community involvement, we are a local organization with a heart for serving others,” said Leindl.

Salt Lake City has had a continuous aviation facility on the site of the present day airport since 1911 when a cinder-covered landing strip was established. It underwent several name changes as it grew, through to the present day, where SLC handles 24 million passengers a year. The airport is currently in the midst of a $3.6 billion construction and modernization program, to replace its five-decade-old infrastructure. It began in July 2014 and will continue in phases through 2024, with a new terminal slated to open in 2020.