The City of Gastonia has taken its airport operator to court, accusing the Academy of Aviation, which runs Gastonia Municipal Airport, of quietly diverting flight-school tuition money and skipping out on required payments tied to fuel and school revenue. The lawsuit also claims the company blew past deadlines for promised hangar and office development and refused to hand over records the city wanted for an audit.
The complaint, filed in March, traces the dispute back to 2018, when the Academy was first hired as the airport’s fixed-base operator, an agreement that was renewed in 2023. Under that contract, the operator was supposed to share a cut of fuel sales and pay the city 3% of gross revenue from its flight school. City officials allege those payments never fully materialized. As reported by WSOC, officials say attempts to hash out a settlement went nowhere and they declined further comment, citing the pending case.
What the lawsuit alleges
In filings described by Gaston Gazette, the city accuses the Academy of routing tuition payments to an Academy of Aviation branch in New York “in a deliberate effort to circumvent its contractual obligations to the city.” The lawsuit also says the operator refused to provide financial documents Gastonia requested for an audit and missed a 180-day deadline to present plans for a new hangar and office complex. City attorneys argue those alleged failures deprived Gastonia of money it is owed and kept long-promised airport upgrades stuck on the ground.
Academy of Aviation’s footprint
The Academy of Aviation runs several FAA Part 141 training campuses and lists a Gastonia site that handles day-to-day operations at Gastonia Municipal Airport, according to the company’s website. The school promotes airline cadet pathways and career-track training programs, making student tuition a major part of its revenue picture and, by extension, of its FBO operation. Local reporting indicates the Academy could not be reached for comment on the lawsuit.
Why this matters for Gastonia
Gastonia Municipal Airport is city-owned and described on the municipal website as a self-supporting department that relies on fuel sales, hangar rentals and land leases for income, the very revenue streams highlighted in the suit. The airport also benefits from state and federal grants for capital improvements. City officials say they need full access to financial records to complete an audit and enforce development obligations laid out in the contract. Any missing revenue or delayed construction, they warn, could slow planned improvements at the busy general-aviation field…