On Tour: Banyan Air Service

Banyan is one name familiar to many in business aviation.

We visited Banyan Air Service to become better acquainted with the well-known brand.

Unless you spend some time there, it is easy to overlook all the aviation services — the FBO, the pilot shop, the aircraft sales — it provides at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (KFXE).

Banyan Air Service greets travelers with red carpet service 24 hours a day. It has hangar space for aircraft as large as a Gulfstream G650, is an FAA- and EASA-authorized repair station and installs avionics.

Palm trees and the colorful exterior on the ramp side of the FBO make travelers feel like they are in Florida. Inside, the terminal feels like a resort — warm, sunny and open. But those who need to concentrate on business first may rent office space or make use of courtesy transportation.

Hop in a golf cart for the walkable trip between the FBO and Jet Runway Café, which serves upscale French toast and dishes such as honey lime salmon, flatbread pizza and blackened Mahi sandwiches with a view of the airport.

Pilots may fill up their flight bags at the one-of-a-kind Banyan Pilot Shop that immerses shoppers in all things aviation — supplies, Garmin accessories, sunglasses, watches, gifts and items for kids. The centerpiece in the shop is a Gulfstream II fuselage. Try the flight simulator software up front, or take a break in the casual seating in the cabin.

In addition to headsets, charts and other gear in the Pilot Shop, Banyan sells aircraft parts and assists with aircraft acquisitions and sales. It is the HondaJet and Quest Kodiak sales and service center for the southeastern United States.

U.S. Customs at Fort Lauderdale Executive is open from 8 a.m. until midnight seven days a week. This capability gives Banyan the advantage to serve as a gateway FBO to the Bahamas, Caribbean and South America.

In spite of nearly 100 mph winds and a foot of rain from Hurricane Irma earlier this month, Banyan sustained no damage. Banyan, U.S. Customs and Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport are operating during their normal business hours. Banyan reports Jet-A and avgas are available.

In the two days before Irma hit, there were times when more than 200 people waited in the FBO to evacuate. “There were so many aircraft arriving that the control tower had them line up at center field until we could make room on our ramps,” Linda Li, Banyan’s social media and marketing coordinator, says.

In those two days, Banyan handled more than 450 aircraft — more aircraft than in any other 48-hour period in its 38-year history, Li says.

Banyan by the Numbers

Opened: 1979

Frequency: 130.8

Phone: +1 954 491 3170

Hangars: 12

Hangar space: Approximately 200,000 square feet

Banyan Pilot Shop area: 5000 square feet

Products available in the Banyan Pilot Shop: 10,000