.Mojave Airport receives foreign trade zone status
Benefits existing, future tenants
BY BILL DEAVER
MOJAVE - Approval of foreign trade zone status for Mojave Airport will primarily benefit existing businesses at the airport, East Kern Airport District General Manager Stuart Witt said this week.
"We've been notified by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce that Mojave Airport is now a Foreign Trade Zone," Witt said last Friday. The FTZ is a 91-acre site operating under the City of Palmdale's FTZ, Witt noted.
"What is significant about this is that most foreign trade zones are set up to help attract new business," Witt said. "We went after this one to help our existing tenants."
Businesses that deal with offshore customers can increase their margins in fuel sales, flight training, flight test, maintenance and repair, and other activities, Witt noted.
Benefits
Foreign-trade zones are designated sites licensed by the Foreign-Trade Zones Board which is chaired by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce at which special customs procedures may be used. FTZ procedures allow duty-free export and deferral of customs duty payment on items used in domestic commerce, helping to offset customs cost advantages available to plants abroad. FTZ activity is conducted under the supervision of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Witt made obtaining FTZ status for the airport one of his goals when he was appointed EKAD general manager. He said the person who should receive the most credit for moving the district's application is his administrative assistant Debbie Roth.
"She deserves full credit for taking this to completion," Witt said. "She exceeded all our expectations by taking on and managing this effort."
Witt said he is looking forward to working district employees Harold Smith and Linda XXXX "to implement the foreign trade zone" and managing reporting of data to Palmdale officials.
Carrie Rogers, who manages Palmdale's FTZ operations, was also commended for working with the district to obtain FTZ status.
Several businesses at the airport are engaged in international commerce.
BAE Systems is a subsidiary of one of the world's largest aerospace firms,
based in the United Kingdom. Avtel Services, Flight Test Associates, and
other firms have international customers, and the National Test Pilot School
provides university-credit engineering flight test instruction to students
from around the globe.
Commercial Property on Highway 14 between Mojave and California City
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