Great Bend Municipal Airport Draws in New Customers

Great Bend Municipal Airport in central Kansas (GBD) added new fuel providersand is now testing the concept, “Pilots and owners are checking prices. If you make it worth their while, they will come.”

With an ILS, 7850’ of primary runway and 4698’ of paved crosswind, GBD has largely gone unnoticed by cross-country and local traffic. Now, with a brand new self-serve facility, which opened January 5, 2008, both Jet A & AvGas are providing fuel, and the traffic is coming.

“We’ve created a new class of customer,” Martin Miller, Great Bend Municipal Airport Manager, said. “From Citation III’s to RV-6’s, we’re assisting pilots/owners from all over the country who are saving money on fuel.”

These new customers check fuel prices online, get fuel quickly, use the restroom and move on. Although the margins are small, GBD has still seen a lot of traffic.

“They all appreciate not only the price, but the new state-of-the art dispensing equipment – including both overwing and single-point Jet A hoses,” Miller said.