Meet the crew at SRQ that helps keep planes up in the air

Aviotec, an aircraft maintenance company based at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, has served the general aviation community since 2008.

And now, a new owner is expanding the business, with contracts with nearly every airline operating at SRQ to perform maintenance when issues arise with their aircraft.

Victor Mena, who bought Aviotec two years ago, said it was simply a case of recognizing the opportunity during meetings of SRQ’s tennant managers. “It started as a series of conversations,” that led to the agreements.

Photo by Jim DeLa

Since most airlines don’t have their own maintenance teams at smaller airports like SRQ, it’s an arrangement that minimizes the amount of time airliners are stuck on the ground when problems arise. 

Aviotec provides services for every airline at SRQ except Allegiant Air, which has its own crew in the area, and Air Canada, which operates under Canadian rules which are different from the Federal Aviation Administration. 

Aviotec’s five aircraft technicians work closely with the staff with each airline, to do the work according to each company’s procedures. “We’re the eyes, ears and hands of the airlines,” said Frank Albritton, Aviotec’s director of maintenance.

Work performed by Aviotec can include diagnosing issues with cockpit systems, hydraulics, fuel systems, lights and tires. 

Photo by Jim DeLa

Even things like a broken seat or malfunctioning toilet can be handled quickly, so the aircraft can return to service. 

“If a plane is sitting on the ground, it’s not making money,” Mena observed.

Mena said Aviotec was built on servicing general aviation aircraft. Their technicians are certified to work on a wide variety of airframes, including Beechcraft, Cessna, Hawker, Learjet, Piper and TBM.

Aviotec also specializes in servicing the Beechcraft Bonanza, a single-engine aircraft first designed in the late 1940s and that has an enthusiastic following. Aviotec is a member of the American Bonanza Society, which claims more than 10,000 members. 

Photo by Jim DeLa

Mena credits the employees who have built a solid reputation in the aviation community. The five maintenance technicians have more than 150 years of experience between them, Mena said. 

“No one has less than 20 years’ experience,” Mena said. “There are no rookies on this team at all.”

Since the first contract was signed a year ago, Mena said work with the airlines now accounts for about half of Aviotec’s business. 

And Mena is not stopping there. He’s branching out into other areas, including terminal and passenger services and ground handling. 

“It opens new doors,” he said. “We can offer more than just maintenance.”

Photo by Jim DeLa

It’s something Mena knows something about. Before moving to Florida, he owned a company at Los Angeles International Airport, providing similar services to several foreign airlines. He sold his interest in that company during the pandemic and moved to Florida.

“The pandemic was the perfect time to sell and come to Florida,” he said.

But even as the work with airlines expands, Mena said he’s not abandoning the general aviation community. 

“The airlines will sometimes pull us away, but we always try to make time,” for general aviation. “Our goal is to keep the community flying.”