While the first duty of business aviation airports and their FBOs is to their customers, they also strive to be a part of their local communities and give back to them through involvement. During the holiday season, many locations hosted Toys for Tots drives in partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps.

Among these was Florida's Boca Raton Airport. In its second year of participation, the airport —with the support of its two FBOs (Signature Flight Support and Atlantic Aviation), two maintenance providers, one charter operator, and a local hotel—handily eclipsed last year’s total of more than 1,000 toys for underprivileged children. This followed a school supply drive there in July.

Earlier this year, California’s Sonoma Jet Center, one of two FBOs at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport, established a fire relief fund to benefit its airport colleagues who lost their homes and possessions during the wildfires that ravaged that part of the state. The company also hosted an event that helped raise more than $500,000 to provide emergency and long-term relief to fire victims in the surrounding community. 

Also in California, Threshold Aviation Group, which operates an FBO and MRO at California’s Chino Airport, hosted a blood drive on December 21 in partnership with Lifestream to allow people to give the greatest gifts of all, hope and life, with all donors receiving a pair of movie tickets.