Ocean Aviation to Break Ground on $67.2M Aviation Campus at Miami Executive Airport in September 2026
Why It MattersPrivate-capital investment in FBO campuses signals that general aviation infrastructure near major metro areas can attract institutional backing when tied to customs-ready international traffic and hangar demand.
What happened
Ocean Aviation, backed by Kennedy Lewis Investment Management, will break ground on September 9, 2026, on a new aviation campus at Miami Executive Airport, an investment of at least $67.2 million.
The development will establish a new flagship fixed-base operator, expand airside and landside infrastructure, and add new communal and private aircraft hangars. It will also create a new home for the Wings Over Miami Air Museum and include a 32,000-square-foot common-use taxi lane and ramp serving U.S. Customs and Border Protection, designed to support international general aviation operations. The project will be delivered through a design-build model led by Lemartec, with Schenkel Shultz serving as the design partner.
Ocean Aviation was founded in 2025 and is led by a team of aviation and real estate professionals. Kennedy Lewis Investment Management is an alternative investment firm founded in 2017 by David K. Chene and Darren L. Richman, with approximately $35 billion under management. Miami Executive Airport is located at 12800 SW 145th Ave, Miami, Florida.
Industry impact & what to watch
A newly formed operator securing backing from a $35 billion alternative investment firm for ground-up FBO construction shows how general aviation real estate has become an asset class in its own right, attracting capital that previously concentrated on other property types. The customs-ready taxi lane and ramp point to a specific commercial thesis: international general aviation traffic that needs CBP clearance is scarce enough at general aviation airports that new capacity for it can justify a large infrastructure spend.
This segment typically runs on long lease terms tied to a single airport authority, so the economics depend on securing land rights, permitting, and a design-build partner able to deliver hangar and ramp capacity on schedule. Housing a museum within the same campus also signals an effort to diversify the site's public and community footprint alongside its commercial FBO function.
The next marker is the September 9 groundbreaking itself, followed by whatever completion timeline Ocean Aviation, Lemartec, or Miami Executive Airport disclose once construction begins.
