The CEO of Naples Jet Center at Naples Airport in Florida told AVweb he and everyone else involved in the cleanup after Hurricane Irma are writing a new playbook. “None of us have ever been through anything like this before,” Matt Hagans told AVweb after meeting with airport and FAA officials at the airport on Tuesday. He said it could be 10 days before power is restored at one of Florida’s busiest business airports and in the meantime, the whole community is dealing with devastation it likely never envisioned. “The level of damage to infrastructure is incredible,” he said. “There are millions of trees down.” Hagans, whose official title is CEO of Eagle Creek Aviation Services, the company that owns the FBO, said his business was damaged but will recover.
Hangar doors at the FBO were damaged or ripped off in winds that hit 142 MPH as the eye of Irma passed directly over the popular resort town on the west coast of southern Florida. All the aircraft had been evacuated and there was no staff on site when the hurricane hit and Hagans said he’s grateful there were no injuries. “We are obviously disappointed that our hangar was damaged, but we are fully aware that the damage could have been much, much worse – and we’re particularly grateful that our employees heeded the warnings and evacuated the area before the storm hit,” he said. The runways at the airport were cleared to allow National Guard operations but the airport has been NOTAM’d closed.
