Avelo Airlines has significantly increased its flights out of Lakeland Linder International Airport, and now it’s looking to grow its physical presence.
On Monday, Lakeland commissioners are being asked to approve the purchase of two prefabricated, modular office buildings for Avelo’s use at the cost of $277,523.60.
“We’re required to provide a certain amount of leased space for Avelo to accommodate their operations at the airport,” Deputy City Manager Rob Hernandez said at Friday’s morning agenda study. “As you know, we are space constrained at the facility.”
Avelo gave the city notice in August of its need for exclusive-use facilities. Under the contract signed between Lakeland and the airline in December 2023, the city is required to provide a 3,500-square-foot maintenance storage facility, 500-square-foot maintenance office and 850-square-foot operations office for its use.
The notice came roughly two weeks after Avelo announced it was launching seven new routes out of Lakeland Linder in July, including popular San Juan, and planned to make the airport one of its hubs.
Kris Hallstrand, Lakeland’s airport director, said Avelo’s number of employees at the airport has dramatically increased with the growing number of flights, estimating it has about 40 staff members at times.
These temporary modular offices for Avelo are likely to be in place for ideally about five years as the city works on expanding the airport, Hallstrand said.
“It’s way more expensive to lease. That’s why we decided to purchase,” she said.
In November, Lakeland commissioners approved a grant agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation to access state funding for a terminal master plan for the airport. The master plan will help lay out the future expansion of the airport’s terminal, taxiways and aprons and address its parking needs.
Read More: Avelo appears set to drop two routes from Lakeland in early January
Hallstrand said the terminal master plan work has started as the airport’s stakeholders are being contacted for their input on potential future needs.
Hallstrand suggested the city could resell the modular office buildings in the future once construction of an airport expansion is complete.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Airport space crunch: Lakeland may buy modular buildings for Avelo