What Mint Air does

Mint Air is a privately-held, asset-backed aircraft leasing platform headquartered in Carlsbad, California, that acquires, configures, and dry-leases mid-size to large-cabin business jets to FAA Part 135 charter operators and places training aircraft with flight academies. Founded in December 2020 as a no-risk consulting operation, the company scaled from an initial placement of four Citation X aircraft to managing 115+ aircraft across its portfolio, including a fleet of 11 corporate jets (Gulfstream IV-SP, Gulfstream V, Citation X, Challenger 300) and 57 trainer and turboprop aircraft. Mint Air's core service is owner-free dry lease structuring — operators gain fleet capacity without capital outlay or owner scheduling conflicts — complemented by revenue-share arrangements, aircraft acquisition and onboarding coordination, and institutional-grade asset management including pre-buy inspection, interior refurbishment, and FAA conformity processes.

The platform is built around a direct enterprise sales motion, with the team responding to inquiries within 24 hours and structuring custom lease solutions around operator utilization models and fleet growth trajectories. Mint Air generates revenue through recurring monthly lease fees (dry lease and revenue-share structures) and managed services fees for asset management, with all pricing quoted on a custom basis rather than published. Customer segments are diversified across Part 135 charter operators (primary), flight academies and training organizations, and aviation investors seeking structured exposure to business aviation assets.

The company has bootstrapped its growth without external funding rounds, achieving rankings such as the 8th largest operator of Gulfstream IV aircraft worldwide by December 2025 and over 3,600 jet fleet block hours by September 2025. Mint Air maintains relationships with many of the Top 25 US charter operators, attends NBAA conferences (Las Vegas, New Orleans), and has been featured on TFL's Plane Hunters YouTube channel. The management team combines deep aviation operations experience (CEO Brian Kendrick, 30+ years, 600+ aircraft transactions) with institutional finance expertise (EVP Frank Dohn, CFA, 40+ years investment management; CFO Shane Huiberts, CPA).

Name

Mint Air

Legal name

Mint Air Aviation Leasing

Website

https://mintair.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mint Air is a privately-held aircraft leasing platform that acquires and dry-leases corporate jets (Gulfstream, Citation, Challenger) to Part 135 charter operators and places training aircraft with flight academies. Founded 2020, it manages 115+ aircraft from Carlsbad, California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Aircraft Leasing

NAICS

Support Activities for Air Transportation (4881)

akta.pro primary industry

Aircraft Management & Part 135/135-equivalent Operators (THABAFAD)

Keywords

• Aircraft dry leasing
• Business jet leasing
• Part 135 fleet services
• Aviation asset management
• Flight training fleet

Headquarters

HQ city

Carlsbad

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dry Lease Aircraft: Long-term dry lease structures for business jets and training aircraft. Operators pay predictable monthly lease fees for aircraft placement under their Part 135 certificate.
2. Revenue Share Structures: Flexible revenue-share arrangements aligned with operator utilization models and performance targets.
3. Asset Management Fees: Institutional-grade aviation asset management services including acquisition coordination, operator placement, utilization tracking, and lifecycle oversight for aircraft owners and investors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mint Air acquires, configures, and dry-leases mid-size to large cabin business jets to Part 135 charter operators, and provides a training fleet (Cessna, Piper, and Tecnam aircraft) to flight academies. The company also delivers institutional-grade aviation asset management, lease structuring and advisory, and full-service aircraft acquisition and onboarding for operators and investors across the US.

Product overview

Mint Air is a specialized aviation leasing platform that operates as a platform-plus-services model, combining corporate jet acquisition and global dry leasing with a dedicated training fleet program. The core platform is built around Dry Lease Aircraft services for Part 135 charter operators, complemented by Fleet Solutions for multi-aircraft programs, Aircraft Asset Management for institutional-grade oversight, Lease Structuring & Advisory for flexible commercial frameworks, Aircraft Acquisition & Onboarding for end-to-end coordination, and Training Fleet Programs for flight academies. The aircraft portfolio includes business jets (Gulfstream GIV-SP, Gulfstream V, Citation X, Challenger 300) and training aircraft (Piper Archer TX, Cessna 172 Skyhawk).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dry Lease Aircraft Long-term dry lease structures for Part 135 charter operators providing owner-free fleet expansion. Operators maintain full operational control under their Part 135 certificate without owner scheduling conflicts while Mint Air coordinates acquisition, placement, and delivery execution.
• Fleet Solutions Multi-aircraft programs across Gulfstream, Challenger, Citation, and trainer platforms with coordinated delivery scheduling, fleet-level pricing, and standardized cabin configurations for operational consistency.
• Aircraft Asset Management Institutional-grade oversight managing 115+ aircraft across business jet and training categories, supporting acquisition coordination, operator placement, utilization tracking, and asset lifecycle oversight for aircraft owners and investors.
• Lease Structuring & Advisory Flexible commercial frameworks including dry lease and revenue-share structures, short-term and long-term lease programs, financing coordination, acquisition advisory, and operator-specific reporting.
• Aircraft Acquisition & Onboarding Full-service acquisition and onboarding coordination from aircraft sourcing through operator delivery, including pre-buy inspection, interior refurbishment, avionics modernization, and FAA conformity processes.
• Training Fleet Programs 99-aircraft training platform supporting flight academies with Cessna, Piper, and Tecnam training aircraft, including airworthiness coordination, flexible lease structures aligned with academic cycles, and fleet transition support.
• Gulfstream GIV-SP (large cabin jet, 4,220 nm range) Large cabin business jet with 4,220 nm range, available for dry lease to Part 135 operators through the Mint Air fleet.
• Gulfstream V (ultra long range jet, 6,500 nm range) Ultra long range jet with 6,500 nm range, available for dry lease to Part 135 operators through the Mint Air fleet.
• Citation X (super-midsize jet, 3,460 nm range) Super-midsize jet with 3,460 nm range, available for dry lease to Part 135 operators through the Mint Air fleet.
• Challenger 300 (midsize jet, 3,100 nm range) Midsize jet with 3,100 nm range, available for dry lease to Part 135 operators through the Mint Air fleet.
• Piper Archer TX (trainer aircraft, 520 nm range) Training aircraft with 520 nm range, available for flight academy training fleet programs through the Mint Air fleet.
• Cessna 172 Skyhawk (trainer aircraft, 640 nm range) Training aircraft with 640 nm range, available for flight academy training fleet programs through the Mint Air fleet.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8th largest operator of Gulfstream IV aircraft worldwide (Dec 2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• TFL (The Fast Lane)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2023TFL featured Mint Air on their 'Plane Hunters' YouTube channel in May 2023. TFL joined Mint Air to pick up a Challenger for a client, bringing aviation content to a wider audience.
• Wheels, Wings & FashionminorOthers · 1 January 2021South Florida's premier charity event held at Signature FBO at Boca Raton Airport. Mint Air has been a multi-year supporter since 2021. Event brings together private jets, exotic cars, helicopters, fashion shows, and charity auctions benefiting Victoria's Voice Foundation.
• Victoria's Voice FoundationminorOthers · 1 January 2021Charity beneficiary of the Wheels, Wings & Fashion event that Mint Air supports.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• NetJets: Berkshire Hathaway-owned fractional and private aviation operator managing the world's largest fleet of business jets. Comparable as a major business aviation player whose fleet acquisition, dry-lease sourcing, and operator network are directly relevant to Mint Air's commercial dynamics.
• AerCap: World's largest aircraft lessor with a portfolio spanning commercial and increasingly business aviation. Comparable as a scaled, public aircraft lessor; useful benchmark for capital deployment, lease economics, and asset rotation in aviation leasing.
• Flexjet: Directional Aviation-owned fractional/private jet operator with a large owned-and-leased fleet across multiple cabin classes. Overlaps with Mint Air on large-cabin jet demand and serves a similar high-net-worth charter customer base.
• Air Lease Corporation: Public aircraft leasing company focused primarily on commercial airlines with growing business aviation exposure. Comparable in operational model (acquire → lease → asset-manage) and provides a valuation/benchmark anchor for aircraft-leasing platforms.

Direct peers

• Western Aircraft: FBO and aircraft management/services company providing fleet acquisition, dry-lease structuring, and Part 135 support to operators and owners. Closely comparable to Mint Air's bundle of acquisition, dry-leasing, and asset management services.
• Airshare: Fractional and jet-card private aviation provider operating a multi-cabin fleet (Phenom, Citation Latitude/Longitude) under its own Part 135 certificate. Similar commercial structure to Mint Air's leased-into-Part-135 model.
• BBAM Aircraft Management: Independently-owned aircraft management and leasing firm managing a multi-billion-dollar portfolio of commercial narrowbody and widebody aircraft for investors and operators. Comparable structure (third-party asset owner + lessee) and investor-facing aviation platform model relevant to Mint Air's expansion.
• Nicholas Air: Privately-held fractional private aviation company operating a multi-cabin fleet (Phenom, Citation Latitude, Challenger 350) under its own Part 135 certificate. Directly relevant to Mint Air given overlapping jet platforms and shared Part 135 charter operator model.
• Global Jet Capital: Business jet financing and leasing platform providing equity, debt, and lease capital to operators and high-net-worth buyers. Most direct comparable to Mint Air's dry-lease and asset-management offering in the business aviation segment.
• PlaneSense: Fractional operator focused on the Pilatus PC-12 and PC-24 platform, operating its own Part 135 fleet under fractional programs. Comparable to Mint Air in business-aviation fleet ownership, Part 135 operation, and asset-management-led commercial model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mint-air-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mint Air