AUSTIN, Texas — Think of a yacht club, but for private jets: that's what Million Air Austin is.
Million Air serves as a "home away from home" for planes from around the world. Over the course of the coming weekend, hundreds of planes will be arriving at Million Air. They're expecting planes from all over the world, both domestic and international aircraft, to fly in for Formula 1 (F1) racing.
"It's going to be a remarkable weekend for all and even a little more special for Million Air Austin because they're celebrating their three-year anniversary of being open for business this week," said Ryan Korsgard, general manager of Million Air.
This will be the 10th year of F1 racing at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) track, and hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent for F1 weekend essentials like hotels and restaurants. Korsgard said F1 is like their Super Bowl with the amount of air traffic they receive with people flying in for the race.
The Fixed Base Operator (FBO) is bringing in their Bell 430 Executive Helicopter to lift customers from the Million Air terminal directly to the racetrack at COTA. The private terminal resembles a massive hill country ranch home where guests can enjoy a complimentary coffee bar that also has a barista.
Once inside the private terminal, passengers get the sense of being in a five-star hotel lobby. While race fans head to COTA, their pilots can relax in luxury in the pilot's lounge and watch the race on TV.
Over the course of this weekend, Korsgard said they have crews coming in to assist from facilities as far away as New York. To accommodate the additional staff, Million Air rented RVs and AirBnbs for the weekend.
Many millionaires will be landing their private planes on the Million Air tarmac starting Thursday. The FBO provides hangar space, fuel, ground transportation and anything else their out-of-town guests may need to feel at home in Central Texas.
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