Business Jet Center Moves Into Newly Renovated Facility at OAK

Oakland FBO to operate from refurbished historic airport terminal; to add fuel storage facility.

Oakland, CA - Business Jet Center at Oakland International Airport (OAK) has completed its $4 million renovation of the airport's original 1920's terminal, which will be the fixed base operator's (FBO) executive terminal. Business Jet Center has been operating out of temporary facilities since October 2003.

The 7,000-square foot, art deco-style building holds historical significance in aviation. It was opened in 1929 as OAK's original terminal. The airstrip, which was officially dedicated by aviation legend Charles Lindbergh in 1927, was the first in North America to service flights to and from the Hawaiian Islands and was the departure point for Amelia Earhart's fateful around-the-world flight in 1937.

"By restoring and updating the airport's original terminal, we want to respect the building's historical legacy and pay homage to the pioneers of aviation," said Sheila Opitz, general manager for Business Jet Center in Oakland. "We feel that we're blending the class and sophistication of the golden age of aviation with the progress of today - both of which are hallmarks of Business Jet Center."

The terminal's design highlights its 1920's aviation heritage through art deco architecture and décor, at the same time combining modern conveniences of today, including executive business services (fax, copy, wireless Internet access) and state-of-the-art flight planning. The design project was headed by Anthony Tabacco Architects of Orinda, California, and MSD Air Interiors of Dallas, Texas.

"Business Jet Center has completed a stunning transformation of Oakland International Airport's original passenger terminal to a first-class business aviation facility," said Steve Grossman, director of aviation for OAK. "We warmly welcome Business Jet Center to its permanent location at the airport's North Field and anticipate that its significant investment will lead to growth in Oakland's business aviation sector."

In addition, Business Jet Center is installing a fuel storage facility at the site, allowing the FBO to store 40,000 gallons of Jet A fuel and 12,000 gallons of Avgas at any given time. Business Jet Center in Oakland is an Exxon fuel provider and is designated as an Avitat dealer.

Just 20 minutes from downtown San Francisco, Business Jet Center Oakland is located at 9351 Earhart Road, just west of the main entrance to OAK. The airport has served the San Francisco Bay Area for more than 75 years. OAK has two airfields: North Field and South Field. North Field, the site of the original Oakland Airport, today is primarily used for general and corporate aviation operations. Two fixed base operators provide flight services to North Field users. North Field supported over 165,000 aircraft movements in 2003. South Field is primarily used by commercial passenger and air cargo operators, supporting over 175,000 aircraft movements in 2003. OAK has over 200 flights a day on 12 domestic and international passenger carriers to 39 nonstop destinations. OAK served 13.5 million passengers in 2003 and expects to serve 14 million passengers by year-end 2004. Also, OAK handled 620,000 metric tons of air cargo in 2003 and expects to handle 650,000 metric tons by year-end 2004. Visit oaklandairport.com for more information.

Founded seven years ago at Dallas Love Field, Business Jet Center is a full-service FBO with locations in Dallas, Texas, and Oakland, California. Business Jet Center has been consistently recognized by prominent industry publications as a world-class FBO and is the preferred FBO for many national fractional operators and fuel programs.

Business Jet Center is affiliated with Business Jet Services, an aircraft sales, maintenance, management and charter company, and Business Jet Technologies, which sells and installs Stage 3 hush kits, RVSM solutions for Citation and Gulfstream jets and engine management program development for Gulfstream II and III aircraft. Business Jet Services also operates a maintenance facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

High-resolution images available for download at CooperSmithAgency.com