John Bales, Director of Aviation at Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS), recently received the Airport Executive Partnership Award from the National Air Transportation Association (NATA).
The NATA honor is given annually to an airport manager for outstanding efforts to foster relationships between aviation business and airport operators. Recipients of this award must clearly demonstrate leadership in developing and maintaining working partnerships between airport operators and tenants.
Bales, who has been Airport Director since 2007, demonstrates this leadership while at an airport that is home to 125 businesses and employs over 3,000 people. The Spirit of St. Louis Airport is also home to numerous Phillips 66 Aviation-branded dealers.
In addition to his day-to-day work, Bales continues to be an aviation advocate at state and federal levels. He successfully introduced a Senate Bill establishing tax incentives to help promote aircraft maintenance and operations in the state and he continues to lobby state and federal governments for key projects.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by NATA,” says Bales. “I’m proud to bring this award to Missouri Airport Managers Association and the Missouri State Aviation Council. I am fortunate to be in a position where I can continue to support and fight for aviation in America.”
Bales was honored May 4, in Washington D.C. during the annual NATA Day on the Hill and Committee Meeting event.
Spirit of St. Louis Airport is the busiest GA airport in the FAA’s Central Region and is St. Louis’ prime general aviation reliever airport. The airport is unique because the revenue generated from wholesale fuel sales, land development and real estate rental allows it to be one of the few profitable airports of its kind and operates without public subsidy, officials said.
For more information: SpiritAirport.com
