Jul. 27—A proposed development venture at the Reading Regional Airport that has faced pushback from existing operators at the Bern Township airfield has been given the green light.

The airport authority granted approval last week to Coral Aviation Group to build a full service fixed base operation on 17 acres the company would lease from the authority.

James Dastra, president of Coral, said he was thrilled to have gained the support of the authority.

"I want to thank the board members who voted for us," he said. "This is a big vote of confidence moving forward and we're really appreciative of those who believe in the future of this project."

Dastra estimated it will cost $18 million to construct a 50,000-square-foot hangar as well as 25,000 square feet of office space. He is hoping to secure various state and federal grants to help finance the project.

He said Coral is planning to provide hanger space and fueling services to Quest Diagnostics at the new facility, with hopes of future expansion. Quest bases a fleet of airplanes at the airport, which transport human blood and tissue samples from their offices to laboratories for various medical tests.

Quest is by far the top operator at the airport in terms of the number of flights.

Dastra said now that the project has won approval he is looking forward to the actual design and construction process.

"This is going to be an incredible project for the airport," he said.

The opposition

But two existing full service fixed-based operators at the airport — Millennium Aviation and Reading Jet Center — are claiming the project will be detrimental to their already stressed financial situations.

They have also taken issue with the way the Coral proposal process has progressed without several pertinent documents like an official business plan or a statement of financial stability being available for the public review.

Millennium Aviation owner Peter Knight and Reading Jet Center owner Andy Muller hired Business Aviation Group, a professional aviation consulting company, to take a deep look at the issue.

David Vaughan, a partner at Business Aviation Group, said a feasibility study of the proposal strongly supports the conclusion that adding a new fixed based operation at the airport would be a significant mistake.

Vaughan said his clients certainly disagree with the decision the majority of the authority members made.

"We don't feel that they did a thorough analysis to determine the viability of yet a third entity on the airport," he said. "And we are considering what actions would be available to us at this time."

The vote

The authority voted on the proposal at a meeting July 19 following an executive session during which members reviewed financial documents the board requested from Coral about the project.

Authority member Randy Heck made a motion to grant approval. It was seconded by Chairman Michael Setley and passed by a 5-1 vote. Craig Lutz, the assistant chairman of the authority, was the lone member to vote against the proposal.

There was no further discussion on the vote during the meeting.

Following the meeting, Lutz said he didn't think the board had enough time to determine if the project met all the requirements set by the Federal Aviation Association before taking a final vote.

"And, honestly, I just think there is a long way to go with this," he said. "I only saw all the information about the proposal until five minutes before we voted and I will not vote on something that quick."

Heck said after the meeting that he felt the project will help the authority meet its goal of expanding the airport.

"It's time that we grow the airport to better serve the public and the general aviation community," he said.

Heck added that the move is also important in its mission to keep Quest at the airport.

Scott Borton, director of flight operations at Quest, has told authority members that the current situation at the airport no longer meets Quests needs. He said the company needs more space and is considering Coral's proposal as a possible solution.

Increased activity

Authority member Pamela Shupp said after the meeting that the Coral project will help make the airport a more attractive location for any and all businesses looking to establish, expand or relocate.

"We are looking to increase activity here," she said. "Increased activity means an increase in takeoffs, landings and fuel sales. So the trajectory for the airport and its existing businesses should only be positive."

Shupp said she has been visiting other local airports across the state to get ideas about how the Reading airport can improve its terminal and bolster its image as a point of destination.

"Those are things that we have to continue to explore, and I think we have untapped potential," she said. "We are very focused on business aviation and we have to present ourselves as a business-friendly airport."