Southern Sky Aviation

What Southern Sky Aviation does

Southern Sky Aviation is a vertically integrated full-service aviation company headquartered at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) in Alabama. Founded in 2017 by Bill Gunnells, the company operates four Southeastern U.S. locations — Birmingham (headquarters with 67,000+ sq ft across two refurbished hangars), DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK) in Atlanta, Trent Lott International Airport (KPQL) in Pascagoula (Mississippi, where it is the sole FBO and now an international point of entry), and Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (KECP) in Panama City, Florida. The company is FAA-certified as a Part 135 Air Carrier (#365A2510) for charter operations and as a Part 145 Repair Station for maintenance, and holds third-party safety ratings including Wyvern Certified, ARGUS International, and ACSF membership.

The company offers five integrated service lines: private jet charter (whole-aircraft bookings using Citation V, Citation XLS, and King Air 200 aircraft), aircraft maintenance and avionics (Part 145), Fixed Base Operator (FBO) ground services, turn-key aircraft management (with charter revenue opportunities through placement on the Part 135 certificate), and aircraft sales and consulting. Add-on offerings include the Sky Elite membership program, hangar space leasing, and a strategic travel partnership with Lazy J Sporting Club. Customers comprise high-net-worth individuals, business executives, and private aircraft owners.

Southern Sky Aviation generates revenue through usage-based hourly charter rates, managed-services fees for aircraft owners, professional-services fees for maintenance and sales transactions, transaction-based FBO fuel and ground handling charges, and subscription-style hangar leases. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held and bootstrapped, with no external venture capital, private equity, or institutional investment identified. Ownership and leadership rest with founder Bill Gunnells (Chairman and CEO), supported by President and CFO Donald A. Howell and an executive team including VPs of Aviation, FBO Operations, Business Development, and Quality.

Name

Southern Sky Aviation

Legal name

Southern Sky Aviation LLC

Website

https://southernskyaviation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southern Sky Aviation is a Birmingham, Alabama-based full-service aviation company operating FAA-certified Part 135 charter flights, Part 145 maintenance, FBO ground services, and aircraft management across four Southeastern U.S. locations, serving high-net-worth individuals, business executives, and private aircraft owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Aviation Services

NAICS

Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation (481211), Support Activities for Air Transportation (4881), Nonscheduled Air Transportation (48121)

SIC

Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522), Airports, Flying Fields & Airport Terminal Services (4581)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Jet Charter (On-Demand) (THABAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aircraft Management & Part 135/135-equivalent Operators (THABAFAD), Private Aviation Terminals & FBO Services (THABAFAH)

Keywords

• Private jet charter
• Aircraft management services
• FBO operations
• Part 145 maintenance
• Aviation sales consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Vestavia Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Charter Flights: Hourly charter rates for whole aircraft bookings. Revenue generated from private jet charter services including Citation jets and King Air turboprop aircraft.
2. Aircraft Management Services: Turn-key management program for private aircraft owners including crewing, maintenance, fuel discounts, and fiscal management. Offers charter revenue opportunities by placing aircraft on Part 135 certificate.
3. Maintenance and Repair: Part 145 Repair Station services including aircraft maintenance, avionics, and interiors for jet, turboprop and piston aircraft.
4. FBO Services: Fixed Base Operator services at multiple locations including fuel, hangar space, and ground support services.
5. Aircraft Sales and Consulting: Aircraft buying and selling advisory services with expertise in transactions, valuations, and aviation journey assistance.
6. Hangar Space Leasing: Leasing of hangar space at FBO locations for aircraft storage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Southern Sky Aviation is a vertically integrated private aviation services company operating under FAA Part 135 Air Carrier and Part 145 Repair Station certificates. The company sells whole-aircraft private charter flights, turn-key aircraft management for owners, FAA-certified maintenance and avionics, Fixed Base Operator (FBO) ground services and fueling at four locations, and aircraft sales and acquisitions consulting, with a Sky Elite membership program and hangar space leasing as supplementary offerings.

Product overview

Southern Sky Aviation is a full-service aviation company offering a vertically integrated portfolio of private aviation services. The core offerings consist of Part 135 Charter Operations (whole aircraft bookings), FBO Services at four locations (BHM, PDK, KPQL, ECP), Part 145 Aircraft Maintenance (including avionics and interiors), Aircraft Management (with charter revenue opportunities), and Aircraft Sales & Consulting. Additional services include the Sky Elite membership program (discounted fleet access and expedited booking), hangar space leasing, and a travel partnership with Lazy J Sporting Club. The company operates a fleet including Citation jets (XLS, V) and King Air turboprops, and positions itself as a one-stop solution for private aviation needs across the southeastern United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sky Elite Program: A signature membership program providing discounted access to fleet aircraft, catering and transportation incentives, expedited booking, and financial assurance with refundable deposits kept separate from operating funds.

Products and services

• Charter Flights Whole-aircraft private charter service (no individual seat sales) operating Citation XLS, Citation V jets and King Air 200 turboprop aircraft, available 24/7 via the company's concierge team with quote-based hourly pricing.
• FBO Services Fixed Base Operator services at four airports (BHM, PDK, KPQL, ECP) providing ground handling, fueling, hangar storage, passenger services, and a U.S. Customs point of entry at Trent Lott International Airport (KPQL).
• Aircraft Maintenance FAA Part 145 certified maintenance, repair, avionics, interiors, and Aircraft on Ground (AOG) support for jet, turboprop and piston aircraft at the Birmingham location, with a maintenance and avionics team carrying 100+ years combined experience.
• Aircraft Management Turn-key aircraft management for private aircraft owners including crewing, maintenance coordination, fuel discounts, fiscal management, and charter revenue opportunities by placing the owner's aircraft on Southern Sky's Part 135 Air Carrier certificate.
• Sales & Consulting Advisory services for buying and selling aircraft, leveraging vertically integrated expertise across charter, maintenance, and operations to assist with transactions, valuations, and aviation journey planning.
• Sky Elite Program Membership program offering discounted access to all fleet aircraft, catering and transportation incentives, expedited booking with prioritized service, and financial assurance with refundable deposits kept separate from operating funds.
• Hangar Space Leasing Leasing of hangar space at FBO locations for aircraft storage, including the 67,000+ square feet of space across two fully refurbished hangars at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport.

Quantifiable outcome

• Record-setting number of charter flights

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Lazy J Sporting ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2025Southern Sky Aviation is the preferred private aviation partner for the Lazy J Sporting Club, providing custom travel arrangements to and from the Lazy J Grand Lodge in South Dakota. The partnership provides exclusive travel access to the Lazy J's premier hunting experiences and upcoming golf course opening summer 2027.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Atlantic Aviation: National FBO network with 100+ locations. Directly comparable to Southern Sky's FBO service line (SSA's VP of FBO previously ran Atlantic Aviation at BHM), though Atlantic operates at vastly broader scale.
• Signature Flight Support: World's largest FBO network with charter and MRO services. Comparable to Southern Sky's FBO and maintenance offerings as a broad incumbent with similar multi-service positioning at national scale.
• Jet Aviation: Global FBO, aircraft management, maintenance, and charter operator. Overlaps with Southern Sky's full-service vertically integrated offering but at significantly larger scale and geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Linear Air: On-demand private charter operator focused on light jets and turboprops. Comparable to Southern Sky's hourly charter model targeting executives and regional business travelers with similar aircraft classes.
• Tradewind Aviation: Private charter operator offering on-demand and scheduled-style shuttle services on PC-12s and Citation jets. Comparable whole-aircraft charter model and similar fleet-class focus.
• Airshare: Fractional and charter provider with EMB Phenom fleet and member programs. Comparable to Southern Sky in business model (membership + charter) and whole-aircraft, no-seat-selling positioning.
• Nicholas Air: Private aviation company offering shared ownership, jet cards, and charter on light/midsize jets. Closely mirrors Southern Sky's whole-aircraft charter focus on Citation and King Air-class aircraft.
• FlyExclusive: Fractional ownership and private jet charter operator with a Citation-heavy fleet and member program. Directly comparable to Southern Sky's Part 135 charter and Sky Elite membership model, with a similar mid-size jet focus.
• PlaneSense: Fractional ownership program for Pilatus PC-12 turboprops with charter availability. Comparable to Southern Sky's turboprop-inclusive fleet and whole-aircraft, member-driven charter approach.

Emerging players

• Surf Air Mobility: Membership-based private aviation with scheduled and on-demand services. Comparable membership/ease-of-use positioning to Southern Sky's Sky Elite program, though Surf Air targets a different aircraft segment (turboprop shuttle).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/southernskyaviation
• Facebookfacebook.com/southernskyaviation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-sky-aviation

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Southern Sky Aviation