ASHWAUBENON, Wis. — It was a relatively quiet lunch hour at Jet Air Group Thursday.

What You Need To Know

  • Saturday’s Packers playoff game is expected to bring additional air traffic to Green Bay

  • Staff at Jet Air Group are already starting to see some early arrivals of private aircraft

  • If the Packers win, next weekend will likely be busier​

But that’s all expected to change in the coming days as the business prepares to handle dozens of planes, pilots and passengers destined for Green Bay and the Packers playoff game Saturday night.

“Usually the planes come in three to four hours before kickoff. That’s when the big rush is,” said Dylan Masse, Jet Air’s operations manager. “They’ll be coming all weekend. We’re even seeing some traffic today.”

Jet Air is one of two businesses — called fixed base operators — who work primarily with private and charter aircraft at Austin Straubel International Airport.

It provides everything from fuel to hanger space and a pilots lounge.

Masse said they’ll likely service between 60 and 80 aircraft this weekend.

“We’ll have some (flight) line guys assigned to just marshaling the aircraft, we’ll have some line guys assigned to fueling,” he said about this weekend’s staffing. “Some just assist with customers, driving them to and from their planes. Sometimes you have to park them a little further away.”

Jay Kurowski is one of those people working on the flight line. He said operations at Jet Air can change quickly on game weekends.

“It’ll go from quiet to a madhouse in minutes. Literally,” Kurowski added. “It can be fun planning it out, but it’s hectic. After it’s done, it’s a good feeling.”

Staff at Jet Air will see another rush about an hour after the game ends as people leave.

“When the Packers are winning and doing well… it’s like, ‘Hey, we’re part of something that’s very exciting,’” Masse said. “Green Bay is a small town and practically everyone here is a Packers fan, so it’s cool to be involved in that in some way.”

If the Packers win, he expects it will only get busier next weekend.