LA City Council approves contentious lease for Van Nuys Airport hangar

The Los Angeles City Council overwhelmingly approved a contentious lease for an aviation company at Van Nuys Airport Tuesday afternoon. 

The 11-2 vote, approved a five-year lease with Bonseph Helinet LLC, which could be extended to 25 years, for an office and hangar space on the airport. Councilmembers Imelda Padilla and Hugo Soto-Martinez voted against the lease, while their colleagues Traci Park and Heather Hutt were absent.

In a closed session, the council agreed to settle with the aviation company, which filed a lawsuit against the city when they rejected a proposed lease from Bonseph Helinet LLC in March. The motion passed on a slimmer margin of 8-5 with Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield, Kevin de León and Monica Rodriguez joining Padilla and Soto-Martinez in the opposition. 

"Today, I stood firm, voting with my conscience and with my constituents to ensure Van Nuys Airport respects and values the surrounding community," Padilla wrote in a statement. "While I fully support the airport's vital economic contributions, I remain deeply concerned about the flawed RFP process between LAWA and Bonseph-Helinet—a process that lacked transparency and fairness."

The settlement will approve Bonseph Helinet's if they drop the claims. They must also comply with any specific plans related to the airport development and temporarily allow them to use a fire department facility during construction. 

Bonseph Helinet must also include a community benefit plan with its proposed development and conduct outreach. 

The aviation company plans to implement a $26 million redevelopment project, which includes two 30,000 sq. ft. hangars, 15,000 square feet of terminal and shop space and a promised improvement to the airport's observation deck.  

Residents living near the airport voiced their opposition to the lease, including the Van Nuys Airport Citizens Advisory Council, which oversees the land. The advisory council recommended the city reject the lease, after concerns that Bonseph Helinet and others had an unfair advantage during the bidding process. The concerns came from complaints filed by Air Center Aviation and another company vying for the lease. 

KCAL News has partnered with Bonseph Helinet LLC (formerly known as Helinet Aviation Services) in the past. However, we no longer have business ties with the company.