Clay Lacy Aviation's newest FBO and hangar complex at Waterbury-Oxford airport, serving New York and the greater Northeast US, is nearing completion and scheduled to open this summer. Featuring 120,000sq ft of hangars, the large corporate facilities answer the need for new hangar space in the region, combined with the convenience and reduced costs associated with basing an aircraft in Connecticut.

"The facility still has room to accommodate more super-mid, large cabin and ultra-long range jets," says David 'Buddy' Blackburn, chief business officer for Clay Lacy FBOs. "Corporate flight departments with two or more aircraft can be hangared together, a feature that is considerably rare in the tight Tri-State market."

Clay Lacy's modern hangars have 29ft doors and floor space to accommodate larger wingspan aircraft, including the Bombardier Global 7500, the Falcon 10X and the Gulfstream G700.

Following a mild Northeast winter, the construction is entering its final phase. The superstructure and concrete pours for all three hangars have been completed. Construction of the FBO building continues as the framed-in glass lobby will be a visible marker for its progress. The taxiway to access Connecticut's longest business aviation runway is completed with the remaining ramp and parking facilities expected to be finished shortly.

"We are nearly complete with the infrastructure," adds Blackburn. "While it is easy to see the physical aspects of this ambitious project nearing completion, there has been just as much activity behind the scenes customising build-to-suit office spaces, organising fuelling and operational equipment and building out our team to provide legendary service to our customers."

Clay Lacy has welcomed Maria Garceau as FBO general manager for the new facility. Garceau has spent much of her career at Connecticut-based aviation facilities. She joined Clay Lacy in March with more than 20 years of FBO experience, including previous general manager positions that oversee every aspect of the customer experience, including line service, training and operations.

"It's an honour to be able to help design and implement the ultimate customer experience at Clay Lacy's first Northeast FBO that matches the experience travellers have come to expect from Clay Lacy nationwide," she says. "Every interaction they have will reflect the passion for aviation and dedication to service that we share."

All the facilities under construction are built in accordance with Clay Lacy's Sustainability Strategy, and will be certified and operated carbon neutral. This includes solar panel provisions, electric vehicle charging, electric aircraft charging, efficient building design and sustainable aviation fuel.

As Connecticut's largest business aviation airport, Oxford offers considerable cost savings and advantages, such as:

- On-airport maintenance, avionics and AOG services.

- Short flights to New York metro airports.

- Less congestion and flight activity, allowing short taxi times and quick departures.

- 30 per cent lower costs on hangar and office rentals, and sales tax benefits.

- Higher availability than New York-based airports.

- Runway improvements that can accommodate ultra-long range aircraft up to Global 7500.

- Covered auto parking.

- New customs facilities on airport.

- De-icing pad added on airport.