Desert Jet Starts Apron Extension at Palm Springs as Part of USD24 Million FBO and Maintenance Expansion
Why It MattersRamp and hangar space is the binding capacity at busy general aviation airports, so an FBO-and-maintenance operator that separates from charter is betting on ground services rather than flying.
What happened
Desert Jet has started construction of a 1.4-hectare apron extension at Palm Springs Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in California. The work is part of a USD24 million expansion of the company's fixed-base operator (FBO) and maintenance facilities.
The additional apron space is expected to enter service by the end of 2026. Two new hangars are planned for construction in 2027.
The expansion follows a restructuring of the business. In 2024, Desert Jet Holdings sold its charter and aircraft management business to Advanced Air, keeping Desert Jet Center and Desert Jet Maintenance. The former FAA Part 135 certificate is now controlled by Flightpath Air, which operates charter aircraft under it.
Industry impact & what to watch
The sequence here, a sale of the flying business in 2024 followed by capital spending on ramp and hangars, shows a model in which an FBO and maintenance provider earns from aircraft on the ground rather than from operating them. Apron area drives how many visiting aircraft an FBO can park and service at once, and hangar space determines how much maintenance work it can hold indoors, so both are capacity investments rather than service-line changes.
Splitting charter from ground services also separates two different risk profiles. Charter revenue follows demand for flying and carries operating-certificate obligations, while an FBO and maintenance business is paid for fuel, parking, hangarage and labour regardless of who owns the aircraft. That is why the certificate now sits with Flightpath Air while Desert Jet concentrates on infrastructure.
The dated milestones are straightforward: the new apron space is due by the end of 2026, and the two hangars are scheduled for 2027. Whether the construction keeps to those dates is the clearest test of the project.
