$40M private aviation facility breaks ground at SRQ

A private aviation development company broke ground recently on a new $40 million facility at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

Sheltair, based out of Fort Lauderdale, held a ceremony April 30 to mark the start of construction on its 10,705-square-foot terminal and two commercial storage hangars at SRQ. The company plans to add more hangars in the coming years as well as a maintenance facility, according to a statement. 

Sheltair will be the third fixed-based operator — which is a company given permission to provide services for aircraft, passenger and crew — on the SRQ campus. It will join Dolphin Aviation and Atlantic Aviation at SRQ once it opens in the fourth quarter of 2025.

“Situated on 24 acres within the new north quad airport development, this addition will provide another choice for the general aviation community and bring numerous job opportunities to the Sarasota-Bradenton area,” SRQ President and CEO Rick Piccolo says in the statement.

The decision to build the facility in Sarasota comes due to demand for aircraft storage and the airport's rapid growth, which required an additional private aviation complex and service provider, SRQ officials say. 

Here are what Sheltair's plans for SRQ include, to be complete by the end of 2025:

• Lobby for passengers and pilots
• Lounge area for privacy
• Waiting areas
• Crew rest facilities
• Conference rooms
• Large office options for local aeronautical businesses
• 29,655 square feet of hangar space and 5,940 square feet for offices
• 16,876 square feet of hangar space and 3,465 square feet for offices

Future plans include construction of a maintenance and repair facility totaling 60,000 square feet and up to four additional hangars that are each up to 20,000 square feet.

“I can’t begin to express how excited we are to be in the Sarasota market,” Lisa Holland, president and CEO of Sheltair, says in the statement. “We recognize the potential it holds for us, and we look forward to working with the community.” 

SRQ will be the 17th location for Sheltair and 13th in Florida. It also operates in Colorado, Georgia and Texas.