Authority to be sole fuel provider
Board terminates development deal to pursue opportunity
A big change is in store for the Reading Regional Airport.
At a recent special meeting, the airport authority announced it plans to become the sole provider of fuel and related services at the Bern Township airfield.
The news came as the authority officially terminated discussions with Coral Aviation, which had been planning to construct a new full service fixed base operation (FBO) and new facilities at the airport.
The discussion of the move at the special meeting consisted only of authority solicitor Edwin Stock reading a letter that was to be sent to Coral Aviation informing them of the decision and Berks County Chief Operations Officer Kevin Barnhardt reading a motion to move ahead with the termination that the board voted unanimously to approve.
“The Reading Regional Airport Authority has been presented with an opportunity to exercise its proprietary exclusive rights to own and operate a sole fixed base operator at the airport,” Barnhardt said. “Since the authority intends to pursue this opportunity, the current discussions being held between the authority and Coral Aviation regarding, among other things, the construction of hangars and the establishment of a fixed base operator be terminated.”
It is unclear exactly what the move will mean for the two existing full service fixed based operations at the airfield — owned and operated by Reading Jet Center and Millennium Aviation — however officials from each of those companies have previously publicly indicated a desire to sell their facilities.
Authority members at the meeting did not provide any details about their plans to take over fuel services at the airport — something the Federal Aviation Administration has determined that an airport can do.
A response to questions from the Reading Eagle submitted following the meeting likewise was sparse with details and did not reveal a timeline for the takeover.
“We are moving forward as quickly as we can, but will do so in a very deliberate and date driven manner seeking the best solution for the airport and the residents of Berks County,” the authority’s response said. “We could not continue negotiations with a potentially new FBO while starting negotiations to exercise our exclusive right to be the sole FBO. We had to choose what path was in the best interest of the airport.”
The response said the decision to have the authority take over as the sole fuel provider is aimed at improving operations at the airfield.
“The potential benefits of exercising this right includes better service to airport users, stronger FBO operations and enhanced revenue to the airport,” the authority said.
Firm disappointed
James Dastra, president of Coral, said after the meeting that the decision by the board to terminate the $12 million development plan is beyond disappointing.
“I have been working on this project for seven years now,” he said. “This decision leaves me feeling disappointed, disgusted and cheated. There are really not enough words to describe how I feel.”
Dastra had proposed building an FBO along with state-of-the-art facilities that would include around-theclock services and amenities for those using the airport. He had initially planned to provide hangar space and fueling services to Quest Diagnostics at the new facility, with hopes of future expansion.
“The main reason I want to build this is because Quest needed the room,” Dastra said during a previous interview with the Eagle. “I have a long relationship with Quest, and with them as the anchor it changes the whole outlook of the facility.”
Dastra said the lack of transparency by the board over its decision to squash his plans is troubling.
“They are going to take taxpayer money to buy out these two companies and, in the meantime, stop the biggest private investment in the history of the airport,” he said. “And this announcement came as a surprise to everyone I know.”
Dastra said he also worries about the level of service the county can provide, saying that very few people he knows are happy when the government at any level decides to take over the operation of programs and services.
“They will have a monopoly on the field,” he said. “They will be able to charge what they want and provide the services they want without any consequences.”