Birmingham, Alabama-headquartered charter, maintenance, management and sales company Southern Sky Aviation has entered into a 30 year agreement with the Panama City-Bay County airport and Industrial District to invest over $25 million to develop an FBO at Northwest Florida Beaches International airport in Panama City, Florida. The lease agreement provides two 10-year lease extensions.

The development will encompass over 10 acres of new ramp with an 8,800 sq ft FBO terminal and over 73,000 sq ft of hangar space. The terminal will have a conference room with audio/visual/digital capabilities, offices available to customers, a pilot lounge, pilot shower facilities, flight planning area and a refreshment centre. The customer parking area will provide a limited number of electric recharging stations.

“Southern Sky Aviation is excited to be part of the Northwest Florida Beaches International airport,” says CEO Bo Andrews. “We have been working on this project for two years. I am very proud of our team for achieving this milestone event for our company.”

“The northwest Florida region has experienced significant growth over the last several years," adds president Donald Howell. "Southern Sky Aviation is proud to join this growth and be another gateway for economic development in this community. We look forward to working with the community and the District to grow the airport.”

“We are a team that is passionate about serving the aviation community. We planted the seeds for this project over two years ago. Now we are seeing the results of our dedication and commitment to making this project a reality,” adds FBO president Darryl Brewer. “We are excited to be able to serve the airport's tenants and guests with exceptional care and safe, quality services.”

Southern Sky acquired its first FBO in July 2021 at Trent Lott International airport in Pascagoula, Mississippi. It took over an existing FBO business and its facilities, including a 4,300 sq ft FBO terminal and more than 20,000 sq ft of hangar space.