AeroWestFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A AeroWest franchise requires a total initial investment of $38K – $94K, including a $28K franchise fee and an ongoing 9.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $136K[2]. Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $38K – $94K
- 7th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- $136K
- 1st pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Royalty
- 9.0%
- 48th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Units
- 34
- 35th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Cleaning & Maintenance · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Cleaning & Maintenance avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchising since 1983. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Bottom line
- Total investment $38K – $94K including a $28K franchise fee, 9.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $136K/year (median $89K).
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 71/100.
- No protected territory and the franchisor reserves the right to compete in your area. Clarify territorial boundaries before signing.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- West Sanitation Services, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 2158 Beaumont Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70806
- Auditor
- PDM, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $4.0M
- vs $4.3M prior year
Overview
About
AeroWest franchisees operate aviation-related service or charter operations (exact service model unclear from data provided). Day-to-day activities likely include customer acquisition, flight/service scheduling, regulatory compliance, and operational management of aircraft or aviation services, with revenue dependent on utilization rates and pricing power in local markets.
- CEO
- Dr. Maria Bhacca
- Headquarters
- LA
- Founded
- 1983
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 15
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 9 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $28K | $28K | |
| Real Estate and Leasehold Improvements | $0 | $18K | |
| Storage Space | $0 | $2K | |
| Furnishings, Office Equipment and Supplies | $500 | $2K | |
| Vehicle/Transportation | $0 | $20K | |
| Uniformsnot refundable | $100 | $300 | |
| Permits and Licenses | $100 | $500 | |
| Insurance | $500 | $4K | |
| Additional Funds And Working Capital (1 year) | $9K | $20K | |
| Total initial investment | $38K | $94K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$8K
6.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
10%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
9.9 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $38K – $94K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $9K – $20K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $28K – $28K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 9.0%
- Gross Billings · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 4.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 15.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 9.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $2 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $500 |
| Total fee load | 15.0% of rev |
At 15.0% total fee load, roughly $20K per year goes to the franchisor before you pay a single operating expense.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $136K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $89K
- Item 19 type
- Gross Billings
- Sample size
- 23 units
- vs category median 31
- Range (low → high)
- $7K→$541K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $25K→$283K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 204 Cleaning & Maintenance brands
vs Cleaning & Maintenance averages
How AeroWest Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 34
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 9
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 74%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +9.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Termination rate
- 0.1%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 14 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
AeroWest presents meaningful risk due to undisclosed profitability, unclear unit growth, unprotected territory, and possible franchisor financial instability, warranting deep franchisee validation before commitment.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 5 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $28,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PDM, LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 71 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo Item 19 financial disclosure — cannot validate if $135,811 avg revenue translates to positive net income after 9% royalties + $28k franchise fee
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — suggests franchisor may have financial instability or operational uncertainty
- 03MINORTerritory NOT protected — franchisees may face internal competition and cannibalization from nearby units
- 04MINORUnit count at 34 with unknown growth trajectory — no visibility into system momentum or franchisee recruitment trends
- 05MINORHigh royalty burden (9%) on modest average revenue ($135,811) may compress margins below breakeven without strong cost control
- 06MINORWide investment range ($38.2k–$94.3k) suggests inconsistent startup costs or undefined scope of support
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Route |
| Protected territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 90 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Louisiana |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 5 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 21 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 45 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Quick Service
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Quick Service
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
20 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
AeroWest · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a AeroWest franchise?
The total investment to open a AeroWest franchise ranges from $38K – $94K, with an initial franchise fee of $28K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do AeroWest franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the AeroWest FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $136K. The median is $89K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is AeroWest's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for AeroWest (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many AeroWest franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, AeroWest has 34 total units in the United States, including 24 franchised units and 9 company-owned units.
Is AeroWest a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates AeroWest as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 71 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.