Monaco Air Duluth Continued from page 41 only brought several hundred A&P jobs to the airport, but also comple- mented Cirrus Aircraft in developing a major aviation maintenance and manufacturing hub in Duluth.” As it prepares to open the doors of the expanded facility, Monaco Air Duluth has a staff of 30, including 22 NATA Safety 1st certified line person- nel, plus two full-time A&P mechan- ics, who are also Aircraft Inspector licensed. Looking ahead, Magni expects the new facility and its staff will be largely engaged in building the FBO’s tech stop business, which, he pointed out, is trending toward a 5-10 percent annual growth rate. “It’s a very big part of business today and will continue to be for our foreseeable future,” he remarked. “When we started back in 2005, we serviced a couple of interna- tional tech stops each month. Today we are regularly servicing several hundred international flights each 42 year with aircraft ranging in size from Antonov 124s and Boeing 747s to nearly every corporate and mili- tary aircraft type flying today.” That success has been achieved through a multi-pronged approach. Magni explained, “It may sound old- fashioned, but we believe in develop- ing and building strong and trusting relationships with our customers, starting with a handshake. When a flight planner or scheduler decides to direct one of their aircraft through Monaco Air Duluth, we recognize that a great amount of trust is be- ing placed into our hands. For us, it is all about building upon that trust and exceeding every expecta- tion. And frankly, since the busi- ness aviation industry is a relatively small and tight-knit group, it is the flight crews, planners and schedulers who most often open doors to new customers for us. Because we have an excellent relationship with aircraft dispatcher and fuel contract provid- ers worldwide, they are probably our best and biggest promoters.” Since the highest percentage of the FBO’s international business is with long-range, business jet operators, Magni attends many of the domestic and foreign business aviation trade shows. “We exhibit at most of the NBAA events,” he noted. “We also attend a number of NATA events, including the Presidents Council gatherings each year. And, we plan to attend EBACE (European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition) next year.” But interestingly enough, Magni said that the area of greatest poten- tial growth may be in non-traditional FBO business lines. As examples, he cited an ongoing partnership with the U.S. Army flight test team to provide artificial in-flight ice testing programs to aircraft manufacturers worldwide. In fact, this year, Monaco Air Duluth will be hosting several cold weather testing programs for a number of major manufacturers of both fixed and rotor-wing aircraft. “Each year, the testing teams may stay from one week to six months, depending on the size of the pro- gram, and may bring upwards of 80 employees and multiple test aircraft,” he explained. “Our role is to provide a complete turnkey support operation where all avia- tion services are provided.” Along with running Monaco Air Duluth, Magni is an active member of a NATA/AAAE working group focus- ing on airport-tenant relationships. He explained, “NATA’s Airport- Tenant subcommittee is of par- ticular importance to all FBO Aviation Business Journal | 1st Quarter 2016
