Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

boulder city:

Lawsuit threat shies tour company away from airport

The Boulder City Airport won’t see another helicopter tour operation move in anytime soon.

Heli USA had planned to the be the airport’s fifth tour company, flying visitors to the Grand Canyon.

The Airport Advisory Committee and City Council last year approved the company to sublease 10,000 square feet in hangars and four helicopter tie-downs spaces from Boulder City Airport Properties, which leases land from the city.

But Monarch Enterprises, one of the two owners of Boulder City Airport Properties, sought an injunction to halt the deal after hearing rumors that Heli USA would have six aircraft instead of four, so the sublease won’t proceed, Bob Fahnestock, owner of Bagge Fahnestock Enterprises, the other owner.

Monarch, which runs Papillon Airways, and BFE split the 12 acres leased by Boulder City Airport Properties. Monarch subleases to tour operations similar Papillon, and BFE leases mostly to companies that provide services, but is allowed by agreement between the two to lease to a tour operator running four aircraft, Fahnestock said.

Because of the threat of a lawsuit, he said, he won’t lease to Heli USA, and he won’t fight the matter to court, because it’s not worth the money.

Fahnestock said he’d never planned for Heli USA to fly more than four helicopters at a time, but the company might have brought six to have two on reserve in case the operating ones malfunctioned.

Lon Halverson, CEO of Monarch and vice president of Papillon, said he sought the injunction because of time limits.

“It’s not something we’d normally do, but because of the seriousness of the violation, we felt we had no other choice.”

Heli USA currently flies from McCarran International Airport and from the Grand Canyon.

Omar Palacios, the chief operating and financial officer, said flying from Boulder City would be less expensive than flying from Las Vegas.

Cassie Tomlin can be reached at 948-2073 or [email protected].

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