A routine consent item on Kern County’s Sept. 29 agenda reflects a bigger shift: two of Meadows Field’s private aviation operators are being folded into one national FBO group.
Kern County supervisors were scheduled on Sept. 29, 2026, to consent to moving two Meadows Field FBO ground leases to Freeman Holdings of Bakersfield, LLC. The leases are Agreement 493-2022 from Loyd’s Aviation and Agreement 424-2023 from Epic Jet Center, LLC. The consent item listed no fiscal impact. Freeman Holdings Group of Overland Park, Kansas, plans to combine the two fixed-base operators (FBOs, the private businesses that fuel and service aircraft) as Freeman Jet Center at Meadows Field Airport, near Oildale in Kern County, California.
Key takeaways
- Kern County’s Sept. 29, 2026 agenda (consent item CA 8) asked supervisors to consent to assigning Meadows Field ground leases 493-2022 and 424-2023 to Freeman Holdings of Bakersfield, LLC, effective that day, with no fiscal impact.
- Freeman Holdings Group said in September 2026 that it plans to merge Loyd’s Aviation and Epic Jet Center into Freeman Jet Center at Meadows Field Airport, its 26th FBO.
- Loyd’s Aviation, founded in 1958, says it operates on nearly 30 acres at Meadows Field and can house more than 90 aircraft. Epic Jet Center says it was established in 2006.
- Atlantic Aviation, also listed as an FBO at Meadows Field, was valued at nearly $10 billion when Apollo Funds bought a major stake, AeroTime reported Sept. 1, 2026.
- Supervisors approved a $1.9 million FAA grant in September 2026 for a 20-year Meadows Field master plan that will map future airport development.
Deal at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Project | Consent to assignment of two fixed-base operator ground leases at Meadows Field Airport |
| Location | Meadows Field Airport (BFL), Oildale area north of Bakersfield, unincorporated Kern County |
| Assignors | Loyd’s Aviation (Agreement 493-2022); Epic Jet Center, LLC (Agreement 424-2023) |
| Assignee | Freeman Holdings of Bakersfield, LLC |
| Announced buyer | Freeman Holdings Group, Overland Park, Kansas (per joint news release) |
| Landlord and jurisdiction | County of Kern, Department of Airports; Kern County Board of Supervisors |
| Reference | Ground Lease Agreements 493-2022 and 424-2023; Sept. 29, 2026 consent agenda item CA 8 (9 a.m. session) |
| Size | Lease acreage not stated on the agenda; Loyd’s says it operates on nearly 30 acres at the airport |
| Use | Aviation services: fuel, ground handling, hangars, charter, maintenance |
| CEQA | Exempt, CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Class 1, existing facilities) |
| Fiscal impact | None, per the agenda |
| Status | Scheduled for the Sept. 29 consent vote; outcome not yet confirmed |
| Next step | Loyd’s sale expected to close in October 2026; operations to be renamed Freeman Jet Center at Meadows Field Airport |
What was on the Sept. 29 agenda for the Meadows Field FBO leases?
The deal reached Kern County as consent item CA 8, listed under Airports on the Board of Supervisors’ Sept. 29, 2026 agenda. Staff asked supervisors to consent to assigning Ground Lease Agreement 493-2022 from Loyd’s Aviation and Agreement 424-2023 from Epic Jet Center, LLC, both to Freeman Holdings of Bakersfield, LLC, for fixed-base operations at Meadows Field. The assignment was written to take effect Sept. 29.
The recommended action was to find the item exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15301, approve it and authorize the chairman to sign the consent. Class 1 covers the operation, leasing or minor alteration of existing facilities with negligible or no expansion of use. That fits a change of tenant on existing leaseholds. The agenda listed no fiscal impact.
The agenda calls consent items “routine and non-controversial” and says one motion may approve them. The outcome of the vote has not been published. The next Airports item, CA 9, asked the board to accept a $1,852,500 Federal Aviation Administration grant, with a 5% county match, for a new aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle.
Who is buying Loyd’s Aviation and Epic Jet Center?
Freeman Holdings Group of Overland Park, Kan., is the announced buyer. A joint news release from Loyd’s Aviation and Freeman, reported by The Bakersfield Californian and syndicated Sept. 23, 2026, said Freeman agreed to acquire Loyd’s two Kern County locations, at Meadows Field and in Delano, plus Epic Jet Center at Meadows Field. Freeman plans to combine the two Meadows Field operations as Freeman Jet Center at Meadows Field Airport.
The agenda does not say who owns Freeman Holdings of Bakersfield, LLC. Its name and timing match the announced Freeman deal.
According to the release as reported, Bakersfield will be Freeman’s 26th FBO. The company owns and operates 15 Million Air franchise locations and eight Freeman Jet Centers. It also holds a stake in two ACI Jet locations in California, at San Luis Obispo and Santa Ana. In a May 13, 2026 announcement, Freeman called itself the largest licensee in the Million Air network and described new hangars at Moses Lake (40,000 square feet), St. George (22,500 square feet) and Orlando (30,500 square feet).
The group is growing quickly. Aviation International News reported in November 2025 that a Waco, Texas, FBO purchase was Freeman’s 22nd location. Its website describes a veteran-owned company with aviation, real estate development and hospitality holdings. Neither the release, as reported, nor the county agenda disclosed a price.
What do Loyd’s Aviation and Epic Jet Center operate at Meadows Field?
Loyd’s is the older of the two operators. Byron E. Loyd founded the company in Bakersfield in 1958, and his son Steve took over in 1993, according to the Bakersfield Jet Center website. The company says it operates on nearly 30 acres at Meadows Field and can accommodate more than 90 aircraft. Its services include fueling, line service, maintenance, parts, charter, aircraft management, hangar rental and aircraft sales.
CEO Steve Loyd called the sale “a bittersweet decision after 68 years of our family operating at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield,” according to the release. Loyd’s will focus on its Paso Robles location. A Loyd’s operations consultant told the Californian that the employees who run day-to-day operations in Oildale and Delano will stay in place.
Epic Jet Center says it was established in 2006 and sits on Taxiway Alpha 1 at Meadows Field. It lists refueling, ground handling for large aircraft, hangar storage, aircraft management, sales and maintenance. Epic did not respond to the Californian’s request for comment.
The airport’s general aviation page and AirNav also list Atlantic Aviation as an FBO at the field. Based on those listings, the deal would leave Meadows Field with two FBO brands instead of three.
How do Meadows Field Airport ground leases work?
Operators at Meadows Field lease the land from the county and own no dirt. The airport is publicly owned by the Kern County Department of Airports, per AirNav. Operators hold ground leases and run hangars, offices, ramps and fuel service on the leased parcels. Our ground lease explainer covers the basics.
That is why a private business sale lands on a county agenda. In practice, buying an FBO largely means buying its lease position, and the county, as landlord, was asked to consent to the transfer. The item was a consent to assignment, not a new lease or new construction.
For buyers, lenders and appraisers, the lease drives value. They look at years remaining, rent and how it adjusts, who owns the improvements at expiration, and how freely the lease can be assigned or financed. The agreement numbers point to 2022 and 2023 approvals, but the agenda does not state term, acreage or rent.
Rents and rules vary by airport. The Mojave Air & Space Port, for example, posts land lease rates starting at $0.025 per square foot off the flight line and $0.05 on it. The county’s Sept. 29 agenda did not state Meadows Field lease rates.
What does FBO consolidation mean for Meadows Field and nearby real estate?
Consolidation puts more of the field’s aviation services under national owners, and the Freeman deal is part of a wider wave.
A national roll-up. On Sept. 1, 2026, AeroTime reported that Apollo Funds bought a major stake in Atlantic Aviation from KKR at a valuation of nearly $10 billion, more than double the roughly $4.5 billion KKR paid in 2021. Atlantic has grown to 105 locations, more than 30 through acquisitions, according to Apollo. Mid-size groups are buying too. Freeman went from its 22nd location in November 2025 to a 26th with Bakersfield.
Airline service and the master plan. Meadows Field has airline service from American, to Dallas-Fort Worth and Phoenix, and United, to Denver, San Francisco and Los Angeles, per the airport’s route page. In September, supervisors approved a $1.9 million FAA grant for a 20-year master plan, and airport staff projected 30,000 seats in October, BakersfieldNow reported. CitizenPortal’s meeting summary says the plan will produce an FAA-approved airport layout plan, activity forecasts and a roadmap for phased capital projects. That is where future hangar and lease sites get mapped.
Industrial demand around the airport. The FBO deal adds no industrial space, but it lands in an active industrial area. A national brokerage’s Q2 2026 Bakersfield industrial report put availability at 10.1% marketwide, with average asking rent of $0.71 per square foot per month, triple net, and 6.9% in its North Bakersfield submarket. That report does not publish submarket boundaries. A regional brokerage report measured Bakersfield industrial vacancy at 9.55% in Q2 2026. Our guide to how rent is quoted explains the triple net figure.
Nearby, the proposed Airport Commerce Center, 1,505,440 square feet at Merle Haggard Drive and Airport Drive, is set to return to supervisors Oct. 13, 2026. The county also filed a CEQA exemption in August for four 7,500-square-foot small-bay warehouses on Flyover Court. In our view, a better-capitalized FBO helps at the margin. Companies that fly their own aircraft weigh hangar space and ground service when choosing where to locate.
What happens next for the Meadows Field FBO leases?
First comes the vote result. The outcome of consent item CA 8 has not been published; the board’s summary of proceedings for Sept. 29 will record it. The Californian reported that the Loyd’s transaction was expected to close in October, and no one has publicly dated the Freeman Jet Center rebrand.
After that, the Meadows Field master plan is where new hangar and land-lease sites will be mapped. The Oct. 13 Airport Commerce Center hearing is the next step for the airport-area industrial pipeline. Loyd’s will keep operating in Paso Robles.
Frequently asked questions
What is happening to the FBOs at Meadows Field Airport?
Freeman Holdings Group of Overland Park, Kansas, announced in September 2026 that it will buy Loyd’s Aviation’s Kern County operations and Epic Jet Center. It plans to run the two Meadows Field operators as one business, Freeman Jet Center. The county’s Sept. 29 agenda asked supervisors to consent to assigning both ground leases to Freeman Holdings of Bakersfield, LLC.
Who is Freeman Holdings Group?
Freeman is a veteran-owned company based in Overland Park, Kansas, with aviation, real estate and hospitality holdings. It calls itself the largest licensee in the Million Air network. Its September release, as reported, counts 15 Million Air locations and eight Freeman Jet Centers, with Bakersfield as its 26th FBO.
Why does Kern County have to approve the sale of a private aviation business?
The county owns Meadows Field, so FBOs operate on land they lease from it. When an FBO changes hands, the new owner takes over the ground leases, and the county, as landlord, must consent. The Sept. 29 item covered Agreements 493-2022 and 424-2023 and listed no fiscal impact.
Is Loyd’s Aviation going out of business?
No. Loyd’s, founded in Bakersfield in 1958, is selling its Meadows Field and Delano operations but will focus on its Paso Robles location, according to the joint release. A Loyd’s operations consultant said the staff running day-to-day operations in Oildale and Delano will stay through the transition.
What is an FBO at an airport?
An FBO, or fixed-base operator, is the private business serving aircraft and pilots on the general aviation side of an airport. At Meadows Field, the airport says FBOs offer tiedowns, Jet A and 100 low-lead fuel, oil, ground power units and hangars. They also provide lounges, catering and ground transportation.
Which airlines fly from Meadows Field Airport?
The airport lists American Airlines flights to Dallas-Fort Worth and Phoenix and United Airlines flights to Denver, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Airport staff projected about 30,000 seats for October 2026.
Need hangar-adjacent industrial space near Meadows Field, or wondering how an airport ground lease affects a sale or financing? Call Kern CRE at 855-KERN-CRE (855-537-6273) or contact us. Get Kern County CRE news monthly: subscribe to the Kern CRE report.
Sources
- Agenda, Sept. 29, 2026 (9:00 a.m. session, consent items CA 8 and CA 9, Airports), Kern County Board of Supervisors, Sept. 29, 2026.
- Kansas Company Plans To Buy, Consolidate Two Operations at Meadows Field, John Cox, The Bakersfield Californian, syndicated by Tribune Content Agency on AviationPros, Sept. 23, 2026.
- Freeman Holdings Group home page, Freeman Holdings Group.
- Million Air’s Largest Licensee, Freeman Holdings Group, is Expanding Hangar Capacity in Key U.S. Markets, Freeman Holdings Group, May 13, 2026.
- Waco, Texas FBO Changes Hands, Curt Epstein, Aviation International News, Nov. 10, 2025.
- About, Bakersfield Jet Center by Loyd’s Aviation.
- About, Epic Jet Center.
- General Aviation, Meadows Field Airport (Kern County Department of Airports).
- Airlines and Destinations, Meadows Field Airport (Kern County Department of Airports).
- KBFL, Meadows Field Airport, AirNav.
- Cal. Code Regs. tit. 14, Section 15301, Existing Facilities, Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute.
- Apollo buys Atlantic Aviation stake in nearly $10B deal, Stephen Pope, AeroTime, Sept. 1, 2026.
- Meadows Field Airport gets $1.9 million FAA grant for 20-year master plan, BakersfieldNow, Sept. 21, 2026.
- Board authorizes director to sign $1.9M FAA grant to update Meadows Field master plan, CitizenPortal.ai, September 2026.
- Bakersfield Industrial MarketBeat, Q2 2026, Cushman & Wakefield, Q2 2026.
- Q2 2026 Bakersfield, CA Industrial Market Report, Lee & Associates, July 2026.
- Airport Commerce Center Industrial Project, Response to Comments, SCH 2025030498, CEQAnet (State Clearinghouse), received Aug. 27, 2026.
- Precise Development Plan No. 83, Map 81, Notice of Exemption, SCH 2026080727, CEQAnet (State Clearinghouse), received Aug. 20, 2026.
- Contracts & Leasing, Mojave Air & Space Port.
About this article
Kern CRE prepared this article with help from AI research and writing tools. An editor reviewed the draft, checked its facts against the sources linked above and edited it for accuracy and clarity. Details come from public records and the sources cited.