Midwest Executive Aviation has opened an FBO on the south side of Coventry Airport. The move came immediately after the previous provider of aircraft handling services at Coventry – Atlantic Executive Aviation (AEA) – ceased trading at the end of January.

Midwest’s ops manager Mike Greenway told EBAN: “The transition has been remarkably smooth. It was quite a scrabble to get the building finished in time; we were still putting in furniture on January 31 but it all came together for February 1.

“Director Craig Middleton established the station at the end of 2001. I only arrived at the company in early February and was expecting lots of difficulties but it’s actually been quite good. We got our first aeroplanes on the first weekend we were open and we handled a 146 chartered by a local company on the first Monday. The airport has been very helpful, bending over backwards to assist us.”

Midwest Executive is a new name in the FBO business. Both Greenway and Middleton were previously employed by Execair, Birmingham but were tempted away by the challenge of a new enterprise. Asked whether the two companies will now lock competitive horns, Greenway said: “Not on this particular airfield but the main competition from the Midlands will be at Birmingham and East Midlands in the form of Execair, yes.

“That said, I think people flying in corporate aircraft are actually going to go where their business is. If their business is in Birmingham, they'll go there unless there’s a very good reason not to.”

The only other handler at Coventry Airport is Reed Aviation but the main thrust of its business is the night mail freight movement. Greenway said: “Reed isn’t geared up for corporate aircraft handling as it doesn’t have a lounge facility. I think we’re complementary services as opposed to competition for each other.”

Midwest’s FBO facilities – which also play host to customs, immigration and special branch – include a crew briefing room, vip lounge and rest area, conference room and secure complimentary parking. The company also has a sizeable ramp next to the facility which can handle anything up to BBJs and A319s. Said Greenway: “I wouldn’t want to handle much bigger aircraft on our ramp but there is room on the airport for bigger aeroplanes if we were to handle them away from the FBO.”

Being on the south side of the airport, Midwest also has the advantage of being a few hundred yards from a newly-built two-lane road, making access for customers to and from the FBO very easy, with excellent direct links to the major Midlands motorway networks.

Asked whether Midwest Executive has plans to add further FBOs in the coming months, Greenway said: “We’d like to think so. We’re certainly not going to run before we can walk but it would be nice to think that it wouldn’t be the only facility we had. Of course it would be im-possible to put a timescale on any further additions.”

With an average of four to five aircraft a day, Midwest is happy with its early traffic levels. Longer-term, the company says with Birmingham Airport growing busier through scheduled airline traffic, and in Greenway’s opinion becoming more restrictive for GA, Midwest’s role will be as a slot-free, easy-to-use business aviation field for the Midlands. He added: “That’s going to be further down the line. Not this year but maybe next.”