Million Air Winter 2022

INSPIRE TOP JETS

SKY HARBOUR GROUP As OEMs are hitting record backlogs of orders for new private jets, buyers of large-cabin private jets are discovering that fi nding spaces to park their aircraft can be a big issue. As ultra long-haul private jets have increased in length and wingspans, hangars haven’t kept up. At popular airports, there often isn’t availability — hence the short repositioning fl ights that recently put Kylie Jenner and Drake in the bullseye of climate campaigners. What’s more, if you can even fi nd hangar space at your local airport, shared hangars increase the chance of accidents, known as ‘hangar rash,’ when aircraft are being moved. Tal Keinan, the CEO of Sky Harbour Group, says with stressed supply chains, even a minor bump can sideline an airplane for weeks and months, waiting for both replacement parts and spare slots for repairs. There is also potential damage when fi re suppression systems in large hangars get triggered accidentally. Keinan’s solution is to o ff er private jet owners their own dedicated hangars. Essentially built as row houses for your private jet, each hangar is dedicated to one tenant, fi tting one to two aircraft. There is space for o ffi ces and to park your car, so it’s not sitting in an unprotected lot. There is also the privacy of driving into your hangar via a landside garage door and then boarding your jet while it’s still in the hangar — a nice perk in bad weather. The dedicated hangars also mean your airplane is easily accessible for maintenance, which can be di ffi cult in shared hangars. Best of all, you don’t have to wait to fl y. Keinan says it can often take several hours to get your jet ready to fl y if it is parked in the back of a crowded hangar — which, he notes, “kind of destroys the primary bene fi t of owning your own jet.” Current locations under development include Denver, Houston, Miami, Nashville, Phoenix and Dallas, with plans for dozens more. skyharbour.group