Reebaire to Offer Repairs at McGhee Tyson Airport

[Colleen Turner <colleenturner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Reebaire to Offer Repairs at Airport
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN

January 22, 2004

Two weeks after severing ties with Technical Aviation,
Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority officials
approved a lease agreement Wednesday with a new
maintenance provider for McGhee Tyson Airport. 

Reebaire Services Inc., based in Mena, Ark., will
provide unscheduled maintenance for airlines serving
McGhee Tyson. It will also handle overnight scheduled
maintenance for Comair. 
 
The company began its service Jan. 8 when airport
officials terminated a lease agreement with McGhee
Tyson's former maintenance provider, Technical
Aviation, because of a $59,000 debt for airplane
parts. 

Reebaire Services Manager Kevin Yahn said the company
has locations in several states, but this will be its
only Tennessee operation. 

The company has hired some Technical Aviation
employees and will have 10 workers at McGhee Tyson,
Yahn said. 

Airport Authority President Bill Marrison said several
other companies inquired about the maintenance
operation at McGhee Tyson, but so far Reebaire is the
only company the airlines have selected to provide the
service. 

Also during the meeting, Marrison reported that the
airport finished 2003 with slightly fewer passengers
than the previous year. The airport saw a 0.25 percent
decline in traffic for 2003. 

Airport officials will travel to the Washington, D.C.,
area today to meet with Independence Air, a new
low-cost airline. 

Independence Air has named Knoxville as one of about
90 cities it is considering for service. 

"We just want to find out what their plan is because
they put us on their list," said Dave Conklin, McGhee
Tyson's marketing director. 

The carrier has not yet begun its low-fare service. It
is currently known as Atlantic Coast Airlines and
serves as a regional carrier for United Airlines. 

Atlantic Coast Airlines operates flights out of
Knoxville to Chicago and Washington, D.C. 

Airport officials also approved a $525,610 contract
with McCarty Holsaple McCarty for design of a new
entrance to the McGhee Tyson terminal. 

The contract includes design, bidding, construction,
administration and warranty services for the project.
Airport officials said most of the cost will be paid
with money raised from passenger facility charges, a
fee on each airline ticket sold that goes to the
airport. 

Also on Wednesday, airport officials held a general
aviation meeting to discuss issues at Downtown Island
Airport. 

Airport officials took no action during the meeting
but agreed to defer for 90 days a decision concerning
the Civil Air Patrol, the Air Force auxiliary perhaps
best known for its search-and-rescue missions. They
also executed a lease agreement with Remote Area
Medical and revisited a proposal for R Squared
Development to build hangars at Downtown Island. 

The Civil Air Patrol left Downtown Island after the
airport's operator, Knox Air, told the group it would
have to pay $800 a month rent on its newly renovated
space. Jim Rushing, Civil Air Patrol wing commander,
said the nonprofit organization has been offered free
space at other airports but would prefer to stay at
Downtown Island. 

Remote Area Medical, a nonprofit medical services
group, will lease a World War II-era hangar at
Downtown Island for $1 a year. Airport officials had
approved the lease agreement several months ago but
did not sign it. 

Knox Air President Jim Sexton had stated that the
hangar was falling apart. However, Remote Area Medical
officials disputed the claim. As part of its
agreement, Remote Area Medical will renovate the
hangar and expects to complete renovations by June. 


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