The longtime Aviator Sports and Events Center at Floyd Bennett Field officially entered a new era on July 13, 2026, when Gateway Hospitality LLC took over operations and promptly rolled out a new name: the Floyd Bennett Sports Complex. The company says it is keeping youth programming and community events at the top of its priority list while it sizes up the condition of the aging, historic hangars. After months of doubt about whether the facility would even survive, parents, coaches and local clubs have been watching the transition like a playoff game.
In a statement to amNewYork, Gateway Hospitality said it is focused on tightening ties with community organizations, keeping as much existing programming in place as feasible and looking for ways to broaden access. Company representative Frank Pikus said the team hopes to “restore trust in the facility” while working with neighborhood groups to bring the complex back to life. In other words, they know they are inheriting more than just a lease; they are inheriting a loyal but wary customer base.
Historic Hangars And Repairs Ahead
The sports complex occupies former airplane hangars inside Floyd Bennett Field and, by Aviator’s own figures, offers about 175,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor recreation space. That footprint has included two ice rinks, gymnasiums and turf fields, turning the old airfield into a year-round sports hub. The National Park Service’s Request for Proposals for Hangars 5 through 8 details a connected indoor recreation area of roughly 117,000 square feet and flags that the buildings are in need of serious work, with an estimated $5 million in repairs and specific plans for water-intrusion fixes, according to Aviator Sports & Events Center. None of that is small change, and any operator stepping in knows they are signing up for a construction project as much as a business.
Community Reaction And Continuity
The change in management comes after more than a year of unease. In March 2025, the longtime operator announced that most indoor operations would be shutting down, sparking immediate backlash from families and leagues that relied on the space. Brooklyn Reporter first broke the news of the planned closure, and subsequent coverage showed the ice rinks stayed open while lease negotiations dragged on behind the scenes. Community pressure helped secure a temporary extension of some programs into 2026, buying a little time but not much clarity.
Gateway has already started hiring for the site, posting open positions as it moves to rebuild staffing and get programs back up to speed. Job listings, including operations roles, have appeared on ZipRecruiter, signaling that the new operator is trying to move quickly from transition plan to day-to-day reality.
What’s Next For Users
Gateway says it is asking for feedback from the public at [email protected] while it locks in schedules and maps out repair work. At the same time, the National Park Service has been clear that any major rehabilitation will have to be coordinated with the agency and could mean temporary shutdowns of some areas. The existing Request for Proposals remains the guiding document for lease terms and mandated upgrades, and neighborhood teams and school programs say they will be tracking closely how those requirements play out on the ground.
For now, the big questions in Brooklyn’s youth sports circles are whether the new Floyd Bennett Sports Complex can keep ice time, field slots and community events accessible, and how disruptive the coming rehab will be. The answers will depend on how Gateway balances construction timelines, federal oversight and the expectations of the families that have treated the old Aviator complex as a second home, according to the National Park Service.
