Council approves 5-year lease of Hangars 1 and 3 to Freedom Aviation after contested public hearing

Lynchburg City Council on Oct. 14 voted 6-1 to authorize a five-year lease with an option to extend for Hangars 1 and 3 and associated office space at Lynchburg Regional Airport to Freedom Aviation Inc., the airport director said. The approved lease carries a starting rent of $7,000 per month with annual escalators and begins Jan. 1, 2026.

The matter was before council after a procurement process that staff described as an RFP open under Virginia procurement guidelines. Cedric Simon, Lynchburg’s airport director, said the city received two proposals and staff recommended the Freedom Aviation bid because it offered higher rent and financial assurances. "We received two proposals. Freedom Aviation Incorporated's proposal offered a higher monthly rent," Simon told council during the public hearing.

Why it matters: the two hangars are currently used by BonAir Brokerage and Davis Air for maintenance, charter and organ‑transport flights. Multiple speakers described the airport facilities as critical infrastructure for time‑sensitive medical transport and for the local aviation workforce. Opponents said reassigning Hangars 1 and 3 could force those operations to relocate, reducing local capability for critical organ‑transport missions.

Freedom Aviation’s president, Andrew Wallace, described Freedom as the city’s current fixed‑base operator and said the company plans to expand maintenance and training capacity in the leased space. "This gives us the space to move a little bit of our operation up to Hangar 1 to expand our maintenance operation, give us a much better flow for our customers," Wallace said, adding that Freedom has invested in local facilities and expects to add employees.

Speakers representing BonAir Brokerage and Davis Air said losing the hangars would harm their organ‑transport missions and threatened business decline. "I'm the owner and operator of BonAir Brokerage, which is a current tenant of Hangars 1 and 3 at Lynchburg Airport. I'm here to ask you to reconsider giving that hangar to Freedom," Kyle Falwell said. He and others described growth in their medical‑transport flights and maintenance business and urged the council to preserve existing tenant space. Gary Davis, whose company flies organ‑transport missions, told council the operations are on call 24/7 and said losing hangar space could force relocation of life‑saving services.

Several other airport tenants and a long‑time airport commission member said they were not given formal notice or the opportunity for commission review before staff recommended the lease. Joan Stanley, a chief pilot and airport‑commission member, requested that the commission be involved. "This changing of the hangars has never come before this airport commission at all," she said.

Council and staff discussed procedural options during the hearing. City legal counsel advised that council may only act on the item advertised for public hearing — the proposed lease with Freedom Aviation — and that any alternative lease would require a separate advertised public hearing. Councilmembers and staff also noted a concurrent RFP for Hangar 12, which could provide alternative space if awarded to another party.

Council discussion referenced both honoring the public RFP process and the operational consequences for medical transport providers. Several councilmembers said the procurement had been followed; others pressed staff on whether all operational impacts had been assessed and whether Hangar 12 might be a viable alternative for displaced tenants.

Council voted 6-1 to adopt the resolution approving the lease to Freedom Aviation. The record shows the lease term, monthly rent, and option to extend as the principal contractual terms before council; other RFP outcomes (Hangar 12) remained unresolved at the time of the vote.

What’s next: staff will finalize the lease documents and, per city counsel’s direction, any alternate lease arrangement would require additional public notice and a separate hearing. The potential relocation of BonAir/Davis operations, and whether Hangar 12 or other space becomes available, will affect how services such as organ transport are preserved locally.

Ending: Council’s action completes the RFP selection that staff recommended but leaves open follow‑up questions for airport management, including whether other hangar procurement outcomes or commission input will alter how local air medical and maintenance services are accommodated.