$40M private aviation facility opening at SRQ this fall

A new $40 million private aviation facility is opening at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport this fall. Sheltair Sarasota will be centered around a 10,705-square-foot terminal with an airside canopy entrance when it opens Nov. 1.

Planes the facility can accommodate range from light jets to large-cabin aircraft. The terminal will offer private lounge spaces, conference rooms, crew rest areas, waiting rooms and customer service representatives, according to a statement. 

“Sheltair Sarasota is designed to feel like more than an FBO — it’s a home away from home,” Sheltair President Lisa Holland says in the statement.

Two commercial storage hangars are also on-site and available for lease. One has 29,655 square feet of aircraft storage and 5,940 square feet of office space. The other hangar is 16,875 square feet with 3,465 square feet of office space, according to the statement.

Future expansion at Sheltair Sarasota will include more large hangars and a 60,000-square-foot maintenance facility. A timeframe for those additions has not been set, a representative tells the Business Observer.

Located on the northern quad of SRQ at 814 Clyde Jones Road, Sheltair will be the third fixed-based operator — which is a company given permission to provide services for aircraft, passengers and crew — on the airport's campus. Dolphin Aviation and Atlantic Aviation are the others, located on the western and eastern quads of the property, respectively.

When Sheltair broke ground in April 2024, SRQ officials said the airport’s rapid growth and the demand for aircraft storage drove the need for an additional private aviation complex and service provider.

Colorado-based Tectonic Management Group handled architectural services for the project, while Johnson-Laux Construction of Winter Garden oversaw construction.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Sheltair has more than 500 employees. SRQ will mark its 19th FBO and its 15th in Florida. In the region, it also has locations at Tampa International Airport and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport. Out of state, there are Sheltair facilities in Colorado, Georgia and Texas. In total, the company manages 4.6 million square feet of aviation-related properties.