News - Stephenville International Airport

Negotiations on the operation of the Stephenville airport are currently underway with an American company.

Danny McCann, acting chairman of the Stephenville Airport Corporation, said the corporation had a meeting with all employees and tenants of the airport Tuesday night

“We briefed them on where we are with the negotiations with the American company and I believe that went fairly well,” he said.

McCann said the two entities are still going back and forth with the negotiations as there are still some issues in the proposed deal to be ironed out, dealing with things such as language and performance.

“We want to protect the asset,” McCann said. “In the event the company interested don’t do what they say they’ll do, then we want the facility to revert back to us.

However, if they do what they’re saying their going to do, I think the airport will be OK.” McCann said at the Tuesday meeting there were a lot of concerns expressed, and many of them were very legitimate. He said being anxious about getting this deal done is understandable, but these are sensitive negotiations and the airport wants to proceed with caution.

He said it’s no secret that the last couple of years have been very difficult ones for the airport, but it has to make sure the deal is right before it is signed.

He said whatever happens with the airport affects 50 to 60 people, when tenants of the airport are included.

McCann said the airport corporation wanted to tell the people at the airport how everything was moving along first, and the next step is to meet with elected representatives, including the local members of the House of Assembly and municipal leaders and tell them the situation. After that, he said a public meeting will take place.

“We have to think ‘airport,’ not the economy. We have to run an airport and the rest comes later,” he said.

McCann said the company it is negotiating with has several fixed-based operations at airports in several locations that run well. Some of the potential benefits include marketing and increasing of the fuel storage capacity, which are outstanding issues for the airport corporation at this time.

In a letter to the editor in today’s Western Star, Michael McCann, airport board employee and tenant representative, said the company in negotiations is KAZ Aviation.