Item 1. Business
ITEM 1.
BUSINESS
Overview
We are an aviation infrastructure development company building the first nationwide network of home basing hangar campuses for business aircraft. We develop, lease and manage general aviation hangars across the United States, targeting airfields in markets with significant based aircraft populations and high hangar demand. Our home basing hangar campuses feature private and semi-private hangars and a full suite of dedicated services specifically optimized for home based, versus transient, aircraft.
The physical footprint of the U.S. business aviation fleet grew by almost 36 million square feet in the past fourteen years, with hangar supply lagging dramatically, especially in key growth markets. As the fleet of private jets in the United States continues to grow, with recent new aircraft deliveries exceeding retirements, demand for hangar space is at a premium in part because new jets require taller tail clearances and more square footage of hangar space and the pace of new hangar construction has lagged behind the demand. The cumulative square footage of the business aircraft fleet in the United States increased 61% between 2010 and 2023. Moreover, over that same period, there was an 102% increase in the square footage of larger private jets – those with greater than a 24-foot tail height. A recent study conducted by a business aircraft manufacturer forecasted that business aircraft will only continue to grow in the next ten years, with up to 8,500 new business jet deliveries worth over $285 billion expected to be delivered between 2025 and 2034, with over two-thirds of the deliveries expected to be comprised of larger private jets. This forecast is further supported by data from the major business aviation manufacturers that suggest the current order backlog for new business aviation aircraft as of December 31, 2024 is over $52 billion, an increase of approximately 6% over the prior year.
These larger footprint aircraft do not fit in much of the existing hangar infrastructure and impose stacking challenges and constraints in the traditional shared or community hangars operated by fixed-base operators (“FBO”). The addition of winglets (the vertical extensions on aircraft wingtips) on most modern business jets inhibits wing-over-wing storage. Aircraft hangars are in high demand and short supply, with some airports compiling waiting lists that can exceed several years.
We believe our scalable, real estate-centric business model is uniquely positioned to capture this market opportunity and address the increased imbalance between the supply and demand for private jet storage. We intend to capitalize on the existing hangar supply constraints at major U.S. airports by targeting high-end tenants in markets where there is a shortage of private and FBO hangar space, or where such hangars are or are becoming obsolete.
We expect to realize economies of scale in construction through a prototype hangar design replicated at our home basing hangar campuses across the United States. This allows for centralized procurement, straightforward permitting processes, efficient development processes, and the best hangar in business aviation. Unlike a service company, our revenues are mostly derived from long-term rental agreements, offering stability and forward visibility of revenues and cash flows. This allows the Company to fund its development through the public bond market, providing capital efficiency and mitigating refinance risk.
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In contrast with community hangars and other facilities provided by FBOs, the home basing hangar campuses we develop provide the following features and services:
•
private hangar space for exclusive or semi-exclusive use of the tenant;
•
adjoining configurable lounge and office suites;
•
low-traffic campus environments free of transient aircraft and associated activities;
•
line crews and services dedicated exclusively to tenants;
•
climate control to mitigate condensation and associated corrosion;
•
features to support in-hangar aircraft maintenance;
•
no-foam fire suppression; and
•
customized software to provide security, control access and monitor hangar space.
We use a standard set of proprietary prototype hangar designs, which are intended to deliver high-quality business aviation facilities, lower construction costs, minimize development risk, expedite permit issuance, and facilitate the implementation of refinements across its portfolio. Hangar features include:
•
the ability to accommodate heavy business jets in single configuration, medium jets in twin or triplet configuration, or light jets in multi-configuration;
•
compliance with National Fire Protection Association (“NFPA”) 409 Group III fire code, eliminating foam fire protection systems, resulting in lower construction costs and operating expenses, as well as eliminating accidental foam discharges and the resultant negative effects on aircraft maintenance and resale value;
•
high-voltage capability, industrial drainage and impervious floors that support in-hangar maintenance and inspections; and
•
control through smartphone application.
Our product strategy aims to attract tenants with exclusive or semi-exclusive access to their aircraft, minimize the risk of damage to aircraft, provide increased access, security and control, facilitate maintenance, and improve pre-flight and post-flight convenience for owners, operators, and their support crews. We believe that with no transient traffic, our home basing hangar campuses offer a shorter time to wheels-up, even during periods of peak traffic. Our research has indicated our current and typical future tenants operate late model business jets that emit less noise than other based aircraft, leading to a decreased average noise footprint at our home basing hangar campuses.
We believe demand for home basing hangar campuses will be driven broadly by the growing size of the business aviation fleet in the United States and the delivery of larger aircraft with taller tail heights, as well as the privacy and security inherent at our hangar campuses in comparison to operations focused on transient and commercial aircraft. The discovery by first-time flyers in the convenience, control and comfort of general aviation has caused a shift in consumer behavior which we believe will also support increasing demand for home basing hangar campuses.
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Our Properties
We develop our home basing hangar campuses on long-term ground leases (or sub-leases thereof) at airports with suitable infrastructure serving metropolitan centers across the United States. Our portfolio of ground leases as of December 31, 2024 was as follows:
Airport
IATA Code
Location (City, State)
Location (Metropolitan Center)
Ground Lessor
Ground Lease Acres
Ground Lease Exp. Year (1)
Addison Airport
ADS
Addison, TX
Dallas, TX
Town of Addison
12.5
2065
Bradley International Airport
BDL
Windsor Locks, CT
Hartford, CT
Connecticut Airport Authority
8.0
2075
Camarillo Airport
CMA
Camarillo, CA
Los Angeles, CA
County of Ventura
17.1 (2)
2073 (2)
Centennial Airport
APA
Englewood, CO
Denver, CO
Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority
19.7
2097
Chicago Executive Airport
PWK
Wheeling, IL
Chicago, IL
Village of Wheeling and City of Prospect Heights
15.0
2074
Hudson Valley Regional Airport
POU
Wappingers Falls, NY
New York, NY
County of Duchess
7.1
2066
Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport
OPF
Opa Locka, FL
Miami, FL
Miami-Dade County
22.6
2079
Nashville International Airport
BNA
Nashville, TN
Nashville, TN
Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority
15.2
2070
Orlando Executive Airport
ORL
Orlando, FL
Orlando, FL
Greater Orlando Aviation Authority
20.0
2074
Phoenix Deer Valley Airport
DVT
Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
City of Phoenix
15.4
2061
Salt Lake City International Airport
SLC
Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City Corporation
8.4
2077
San José Mineta International Airport
SJC
San José, CA
San José, CA
City of San José
6.5
2044
Sugar Land Regional Airport
SGR
Sugar Land, TX
Houston, TX
City of Sugar Land
8.1
2049
Trenton-Mercer Airport
TTN
Ewing, NJ
New York, NY - Philadelphia, PA
County of Mercer
11.8
2078
Washington Dulles International Airport
IAD
Dulles, VA
Washington, DC
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
18.0
2084
(1)
Ground lease expiration years presented assume the exercise of all lease term extension options exercisable at our sole discretion.
(2)
Our portfolio at Camarillo Airport consists of two ground leases which cover 6.2 and 10.9 acres, respectively. Such leases expire in 2071 and 2073, respectively.
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The following tables provide supplemental information regarding each of our home basing hangar campus properties in operation and in development:
PROPERTIES IN OPERATION
Facility
Completion Date
Hangars
Rentable Square
Footage
% of Total Rentable
Square Footage
Occupancy at
December 31, 2024
SGR
December 2020
7
66,080
12.3
%
100.0
%
BNA
November 2022
10
149,069
27.7
%
91.6
%
OPF Phase I
February 2023
12
160,092
29.7
%
100.0
%
SJC Renovation
Existing facility
1
41,464
7.7
%
100.0
%
CMA
Existing facility
4
121,931
22.6
%
77.6
%
Total/Weighted Average
34
538,636
100.0
%
92.6
%
PROPERTIES IN DEVELOPMENT
Facility
Status
Projected Construction Start (1)
Projected Completion Date (1)
Estimated Total Construction Cost ($mm) (1)
Hangars (1)
Rentable Square Footage (1)
ADS Phase I
In Construction
Q4 2023
Q2 2025
$
32.9 - 34.9
6
137,835
ADS Phase II
Predevelopment
Q2 2025
Q3 2026
21.3 - 25.2
4
116,420
APA Phase I
In Construction
Q4 2022
Q2 2025
44.8 - 50.8
9
130,550
APA Phase II
Predevelopment
Q4 2026
Q1 2028
34.3 - 38.3
3
107,135
BDL Phase I
Predevelopment
Q2 2025
Q3 2026
26.8 - 33.1
3
125,400
DVT Phase I
In Construction
Q4 2022
Q1 2025
51.3 - 56.6
8
134,270
DVT Phase II
Predevelopment
Q1 2027
Q2 2028
34.6 - 38.6
6
123,646
IAD Phase I
Predevelopment
Q4 2025
Q1 2027
61.6 - 67.3
4
206,800
IAD Phase II
Predevelopment
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
OPF Phase II
In Construction
Q1 2025
Q2 2026
34.1 - 36.8
3
155,100
ORL Phase I
Predevelopment
Q3 2025
Q4 2026
36.8 - 41.5
3
155,100
ORL Phase II
Predevelopment
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
POU Phase I
Predevelopment
Q2 2025
Q2 2026
29.6 - 33.1
2
103,400
POU Phase II
Predevelopment
Q3 2026
Q3 2027
14.8 - 16.5
1
51,700
PWK Phase I
Predevelopment
Q2 2026
Q2 2027
85.8 - 90.1
4
206,800
SJC Phase II
Predevelopment
Q2 2026
Q2 2027
21.0 - 24.0
1
28,235
SLC
Predevelopment
Q3 2025
Q3 2026
44.9 - 49.7
4
206,800
TTN
Predevelopment
Q4 2025
Q4 2026
44.4 - 49.6
3
171,300
Total
$
619.0 - 686.1
64
2,160,491
(1)
Our projections associated with the commencement and completion of construction, estimated total construction cost as of December 31, 2024, hangars, and rentable square footage of our properties in development are inherently subjective and require judgement to estimate. We believe that our estimates of construction costs and timelines are subject to variability based on various factors including, but not limited to, changes in anticipated site plans, hangar mix, hangar specifications, executed guaranteed maximum price construction contracts, and general market conditions.
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The following table identifies the latest available information on the number of aircraft based at each of our home basing hangar campus properties and development projects:
Single
Engine
Multi
Engine
Jet
Helicopters
Military
Total
Addison Airport (ADS)
305
71
147
7
-
530
Bradley International Airport (BDL)
-
2
27
5
18
52
Camarillo Airport (CMA)
301
35
24
22
-
382
Centennial Airport (APA)
574
91
191
30
-
886
Chicago Executive Airport (PWK)
128
16
83
4
-
231
Hudson Valley Regional Airport (POU)
108
7
2
3
2
122
Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF)
42
13
103
7
5
170
Nashville International Airport (BNA)
18
9
79
2
15
123
Orlando Executive Airport (ORL)
155
47
36
19
-
257
Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT)
754
84
18
21
2
879
Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
126
29
55
13
12
235
San José Mineta International Airport (SJC)
66
17
53
6
-
142
Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR)
98
18
37
4
-
157
Trenton-Mercer Airport (TTN)
73
16
25
18
-
132
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
7
-
46
-
-
53
Sources: FAA Airport Master Records as of February 2025.
The following table summarizes the total aircraft operations and forecasted total aircraft operations from 2020 through 2029 at each of our home basing hangar campus properties and development projects:
Total Operations
Forecasted Total Operations
Average Annual
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
2028
2029
Growth
Addison Airport (ADS)
109,915
114,295
120,256
119,149
119,100
126,182
131,533
137,116
143,352
145,348
3.2
%
Bradley International Airport (BDL)
58,142
72,807
79,385
79,626
83,238
90,381
91,870
93,261
94,696
95,974
6.0
%
Camarillo Airport (CMA)
158,782
173,970
187,076
170,566
180,162
183,216
184,005
184,797
185,592
186,391
1.9
%
Centennial Airport (APA)
331,001
310,861
300,558
360,725
340,411
353,641
360,640
367,636
374,108
379,174
1.8
%
Chicago Executive Airport (PWK)
77,377
99,795
97,456
98,111
98,551
97,922
98,569
99,217
99,864
100,512
3.3
%
Hudson Valley Regional Airport (POU)
43,206
58,306
60,403
58,935
79,227
79,824
81,092
82,363
83,638
84,915
8.6
%
Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF)
134,683
163,215
157,286
173,897
140,955
153,387
167,305
174,221
180,645
183,024
4.0
%
Nashville International Airport (BNA)
163,365
219,427
251,446
271,842
275,116
278,841
285,345
291,760
298,633
305,381
7.6
%
Orlando Executive Airport (ORL)
122,839
143,840
152,282
174,314
180,221
181,076
182,632
184,190
185,750
187,313
5.0
%
Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT)
402,444
271,979
275,153
344,393
432,874
428,445
447,756
452,885
457,296
459,527
2.9
%
Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
276,816
342,505
321,941
318,998
326,687
335,923
343,133
351,791
360,551
367,654
3.5
%
San José Mineta International Airport (SJC)
115,895
135,032
166,038
164,564
164,630
170,333
186,163
197,496
203,543
207,385
6.9
%
Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR)
66,502
72,409
79,662
87,048
79,122
80,068
81,546
81,927
82,308
82,690
2.6
%
Trenton-Mercer Airport (TTN)
88,926
85,160
105,217
99,905
93,779
94,898
98,149
101,702
102,532
103,287
2.0
%
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
175,944
245,805
272,889
284,866
306,582
323,609
320,961
326,323
333,439
338,469
8.1
%
Sources: Historic data derived from FAA OPSNET and forecast data from FAA TAF.
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Customers, Sales and Marketing
We seek to maximize hangar rental charges consistent with capacity utilization at our existing and future facilities. We have, and believe we can continue to, achieve economic occupancy greater than 100% at most of our hangar campuses as certain space within semi-exclusive hangars is rented to multiple tenants, and we also seek to maximize our ability to rent available ramp space outside of our hangars, where permitted. Rental hangar space is open to the public on a non-discriminatory basis, and prospective tenants are reviewed for credit quality and nature of intended use of the facilities. We focus our operations on various types of tenants, including individuals (directly or through personally or family-owned LLCs), charter operations, flight schools, corporate fleets, government entities, and aviation service providers. We intend to develop a diversified portfolio of tenants in terms of geography, type of tenant and length of lease term.
Prior to the year ended December 31, 2024, much of our historical revenue had been concentrated with our two largest tenants. Both presently and in the longer term, we do not expect to depend on a single tenant or group of tenants, the loss of which would have a material adverse effect on our business. We expect to continue to diversify our risk by having multiple types of tenants across multiple locations with varied term lengths throughout the country. See “ Risk Factors — Our rental revenue in the past has been concentrated within a small number of tenants and the loss of or default by one or more significant tenants could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. ”
Tenant lease terms are generally 1-10 years, with maturity dates staggered for purposes of risk management. Base lease rents vary by location, but substantially all leases feature annual rent escalation. Leases are structured as either gross or triple-net, with tenants covering insurance, taxes, common area maintenance, and utilities. The tenant leases generally do not have early termination options, and we expect renewals to be reset to prevailing fair market value.
Competition
The hangar space rental segment of the aviation services industry in which we operate is very competitive. We compete with national, regional and local FBOs and other local hangar real estate companies. Our competitors may include FBOs currently operating at certain airports that may have greater financial or other resources and/or lower cost structure than us. Other competitors have been in business longer than us and may have greater financial resources available.
We compete with other operators, including FBOs, at all of our current locations, and our hangar campuses may also face indirect competition from operators located at nearby airports. In addition, we may be adversely affected by competition from other facilities within or outside the airports where the facilities are located, including construction of new facilities at the airports at which we operate or the expansion of hangar facilities by competitors at nearby airports. We must compete with other operators based on the location of the facility relative to runways and street access, quality of customer service, safety, reliability, value-added features, and price. See “— Investment Criteria ” for additional information regarding our competitors with respect to each particular facility.
Seasonality
Adverse weather conditions, particularly during the winter months, can cause delays in the development and construction of our home basing hangar projects. The geographic diversity of our development portfolio helps mitigate this risk through exposure to various geographies and climates. With respect to our ongoing hangar leasing operations, we do not experience substantial seasonal fluctuations in our revenues and the results of operations.
Government Regulation
FAA Regulation
The industry is overseen primarily by the FAA. In addition, the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, state and local environmental agencies, and local airport authorities contribute to the regulation of our home basing hangar campuses. We must comply with federal, state, and local environmental statutes, and regulations, including those associated in part with the operation of fuel storage tank systems and fuel trucks. These requirements include, among others, tank and pipe testing for tightness, soil sampling for evidence of leaking, and remediation of detected leaks and spills.
Environmental and Related Matters
Our home basing hangar campuses are subject to regular inspection by local environmental agencies, as well as local fire marshals and other agencies. We do not expect that compliance and related remediation work, if any, will have a material negative impact on our business. We have not received notice requiring us to cease operations at any location or of any abatement proceeding by any government agency for failure to comply with applicable environmental laws and regulations.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), and rules promulgated thereunder, in order to protect individuals with disabilities, public accommodations must remove architectural and communication barriers that are structural in nature from existing places of public accommodation to the extent “readily achievable.” In addition, under the ADA, alterations to a place of public accommodation or a commercial facility are to be made so that, to the maximum extent feasible, such altered portions are readily accessible to and usable by disabled individuals. The “readily achievable” standard takes into account, among other factors, the financial resources of the affected site and the owner, lessor or other applicable person.
Compliance with the ADA, as well as other federal, state and local laws, may require modifications to properties we currently own or may purchase, or may restrict renovations of those properties. Failure to comply with these laws or regulations could result in the imposition of fines or an award of damages to private litigants, as well as the incurrence of the costs of making modifications to attain compliance, and future legislation could impose additional obligations or restrictions on our properties. Although our tenants are generally responsible for all maintenance and repairs of the property pursuant to our leases, including compliance with the ADA and other similar laws or regulations, we could be held liable as the owner of the property for a failure of one of our tenants to comply with these laws or regulations.
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Environmental Matters
Our properties are subject to numerous statutes, rules and regulations relating to environmental protection and our business is exposed to various environmental risks, hazards, and environmental protection requirements, including those related to the storage and handling of jet fuel and compliance with firefighting regulations. See “ Risk Factors — Our properties are subject to environmental risks that may impact our future profitability ” of this Report.
We endeavor to be a leader of the industry’s initiatives to address environmental issues, and we are increasingly focused on how we can reduce our carbon footprint in a sustainable way. As part of this, our home basing hangar campuses are designed to reduce the need to reposition private jets, which reduces the use of fuel as well as air emissions and noise pollution. We operate a fleet of electric ground support equipment which have a low cost to operate and maintain. In addition, our home basing hangar campuses are designed to be electric vehicle charger-equipped and electric aircraft charger-ready. In addition, our hangar design contains environmentally friendly aspects such as no-foam fire suppression. Moreover, our hangars are designed to be both solar and wind energy capable for future installation.
Insurance
We maintain insurance of the types and in amounts that we believe to be adequate and consistent with industry standards. During construction, our principal coverage includes builder's risk, general liability, excess liability, and contractor's pollution liability insurance. Once operational, each campus maintains commercial property, flood, earthquake, boiler and machinery, business income/loss of rent, automobile liability, general liability, environmental liability, and worker's compensation insurance. We maintain general liability and product liability insurance in connection with our hangar manufacturing activities. We also maintain insurance coverage related to our directors and officers, employment-related liabilities, and cyber-related incidents. We require the tenants at our campuses to maintain aircraft physical damage, general liability, worker's compensation, and automobile liability insurance coverage.
Human Capital
As of December 31, 2024, we had 84 employees, none of which were subject to collective bargaining agreements. We also engage contractors and consultants to supplement our permanent workforce. Our operations are overseen by senior personnel with experience in business aviation and real estate, and includes top-level design, construction, operations, and finance expertise. We consider our employee relations to be in good standing. We are committed to keeping our employees informed and supported through regular communication and events, including our monthly town hall meetings.
We strive to recruit from amongst the best talent in the industry and reward them appropriately. Our success depends in large part on our ability to attract, retain and develop high-quality management, operations, and other personnel who are in high demand, are often subject to competing employment offers, and are attractive recruiting targets for our competitors in fields such as aviation and real estate.
We believe we offer competitive compensation (including base salary, incentive bonus, and long-term equity awards) and benefits packages designed to attract and reward talented individuals who possess the skills necessary to support our business objectives and assist in the achievement of our strategic goals and development plans. All employees are eligible for health insurance, a retirement plan, and life/disability coverage.
Many Sky Harbour home basing hangar campuses feature the Sky Harbour Academy training program, which includes paid training for a career in the aviation industry. The Sky Harbour Academy recruits members of disadvantaged and underrepresented communities with an interest in aviation, ultimately providing such members full training and certification as line service technicians and customer service representatives. The Sky Harbour Academy aims to provide assistance with placement in aviation jobs, including full-time roles and career development tracks at Sky Harbour.
Human capital strategies are developed and managed by our Chief Financial Officer, who reports to the Chief Executive Officer, and are overseen by the compensation committee and the Board. Our executive management team regularly reviews and updates our talent strategy, monitoring a variety of data, including turnover, diversity, and tenure, to design and implement effective recognition, training, development, succession, and benefit programs to meet the needs of our business and our employees.
Legal Proceedings
We may be involved from time to time in ordinary litigation, negotiation, and settlement matters that we expect will not have a material effect on our operations or finances. We are not currently party to any material legal proceedings, and we are not aware of any pending or threatened litigation against us that we believe could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, or financial condition.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports, filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), are available free of charge through the investor relations sections of the Company’s website, www.skyharbour.group, as soon as reasonably practicable after we have electronically filed such material with, or furnished it to, the SEC. In addition, the SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.
Pursuant to a Continuing Disclosure Agreement, dated as of September 14, 2021, by and between the Public Finance Authority (Wisconsin) and the Company (the “Continuing Disclosure Agreement”) in connection with the Series 2021 Bonds, Sky Harbour Capital LLC (“SHC”), a subsidiary of Sky, is required to publish (i) monthly construction reports, (ii) quarterly reports containing quarterly financial information of SHC and (iii) annual reports containing audited consolidated financial statements of SHC, all of which are available through the website of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board via its Electronic Municipal Market Access (“EMMA”) system at www.msrb.org and on the investor relations section of our website.
The information on our website is not, and shall not be deemed to be, part of this Report or incorporated into any other filings we make with the SEC, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in any such filings.
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Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.