As many of you are aware, over the past couple of years there has been an effort by a number of municipal airport managements in the United States interested in entering the aviation services business where private enterprise providers already exist.

It’s a political hot potato to be sure. No one is suggesting that municipal airport-managed FBOs should not exist. There have always been airport-managed FBOs providing essential services at small and large airports, and for good reasons.

The controversy arises when a municipal airport authority decides to either compete with or edge out an existing private FBO enterprise. This begs the question: Is it fair, or is it foul? To answer this question, let’s examine both sides of the issue.