Sheltair Closure at Gwinnett County Airport Raises Fuel Cost Concerns for Flight Schools

Sheltair has permanently shut down its fuel operation at Gwinnett County Airport in Lawrenceville, Georgia, leaving Jet Center as the sole remaining fuel source at the facility. Sheltair's CEO said the company decided to concentrate its operations in Florida, where it is headquartered, prompting the exit from the Georgia airport.

Michael Ojo, owner of LookUp Flight Academy in Lawrenceville, said reduced competition could lead to higher prices for smaller operators, flying clubs, and private pilots. "There's no question about it," Ojo said, adding that whoever fills the supply vacuum "is going to upcharge." He said higher fuel costs could cause some pilots to fly less frequently.

LookUp Flight Academy says it plans to absorb any increased fuel costs rather than pass them on to students. "We are eating the costs and we are hoping for short term, but time will tell," Ojo said. Jet Center is taking over Sheltair's fuel operation at the airport and does not intend to raise prices. Fuel at Gwinnett County Airport is currently selling for approximately $6 to $7 per gallon.

A field going from two fuel suppliers to one is a structural change for everyone who depends on that airport for training and private flying, since the buyer no longer has a price to compare against. Flight training economics run on thin margins passed through to students by the hour, so any increase at the pump tends to surface quickly in lesson costs or in schools choosing, as LookUp Flight Academy has, to absorb the difference for now rather than raise rates.

Whether that absorption is sustainable depends on how long Jet Center holds its current pricing and whether it or another provider eventually moves into the vacancy Sheltair left. Ojo's own framing, that the situation is being watched "short term," points to the practical marker: whether Jet Center's stated intention not to raise prices holds once it has no local competitor at all.