Skyservice began with a vision penned in a school paper by our founder, Russ Payson. It was a simple but ambitious idea: to bring world-class service to the growing Canadian aviation market.
In 1986, that vision took flight with a single fixed-base operation (FBO) in Montreal and a modest team of 15 employees. While the industry at the time was often fragmented, Skyservice was built on the premise that service excellence required a more cohesive approach. We didn’t become a global leader overnight; we grew into it by listening carefully to the needs of our clients and making intentional choices at each stage.
From that first FBO, we expanded to Toronto in 1994 and later to Calgary, steadily adding the specialized layers that define us today: expert technical teams, world-class charter and aircraft management, an FBO network that spans North America, and sales and acquisition experts who guide global aircraft transactions.
Today’s fully accountable, end-to-end approach began as a deliberate commitment to taking responsibility for every detail that makes a flight successful — from the readiness of the crew to the safety of the aircraft. Rather than expecting owners and operators to coordinate between separate FBOs, maintenance providers, brokers, and service vendors, Skyservice intentionally took accountability for how the work came together by applying a single standard of safety, quality, and oversight across multiple disciplines. The result was a more seamless experience — with one trusted partner accountable for the entire operation and far less complexity for those who depend on us.
Forty years later, that 15-person team has grown into a global enterprise of more than 1,000 people. Our focus has expanded from operating a single FBO to managing the entire ecosystem and lifecycle of the aircraft. Whether it is the initial acquisition, daily operation, ongoing upkeep, maintenance, or the final transition of an airframe, our principle remains constant: to remove the risk and complexity of ownership — by design — so our clients can focus on the journey ahead.
