Francis Aviation Hires VP to Accelerate Growth

Francis Aviation, a Charter and FBO company at Santa Teresa and Las Cruces New Mexico has selected John Stuart as its Vice President.

Francis Aviation has future plans for expansion to continue to serve a growing base of customers in the area. For example, in Santa Teresa, Francis Aviation is developing and constructing a state of the art fuel farm. In Las Cruces, Francis Aviation is expanding and remodeling its FBO facilities to provide a professional and modern environment for the increasing numbers of passengers and pilots.

“John brings an excellent mix of private FBO, Navy and Texas A&M MBA credentials, experience, discipline, knowledge and leadership to the table. We are excited to have him on board. He came highly recommended by our contacts in the industry,” said William Kell of Franklin Mountain Management, who was charged with the executive search.

“I joined Francis Aviation because I have the sense that they are a quality operator that emphasizes safety and quality customer service and equipment,” said Stuart.

Stuart has a strong history as an operational leader of an FBO. He spent thirteen years as the Vice President of Operations of Trajen Flight Support. Trajen later joined the Atlantic Aviation network. He later served as the EVP of Aviation Operations at Astin Executive Services.

Stuart continues to serve as a Commanding Officer in the Navy Reserve for Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 8 in Lakehurst NJ.

“Of course my military background is part of who I am,” said Stuart. “I’m very proud to be a veteran. The U.S. military provides tests and challenges that make for unique leadership styles. These unique leadership styles are very relevant in civilian aviation operations.

As a senior military officer in the Navy global logistics fuel program, Stuart provided training and fuel service to the Navy reserve. This involved global logistics of bulk fuels systems engineering, and large terminal operations. While in the Navy, Stuart served three combat deployments (one to Iraq and two to Afghanistan.)

Stuart earned a Bachelor of Applied Sciences from Embry Riddle University, and then an MBA from the Mays Business School at Texas A & M University.

About his education, Stuart noted, “Texas A & M was an extraordinary challenge and a very valuable education. It’s a veteran-friendly school, that afforded me the opportunity to attend using the GI Bill; I felt that was an excellent extension of my career.

“One of the most impactful elements was the on-campus development of teams. It takes many different kinds of people to make a great team, and not everybody is going to see things the way I do. It changed my approach to teamwork. They helped me realize there are so many different personalities and perspectives and they all bring value to a team. That was a real lightbulb moment for me and impacts my leadership style.”

About Francis Aviation

Francis Aviation provides luxury charter flights and FBO services at the Doña Ana County International Jetport and the Las Cruces International Airport. Francis Aviation can be reached at 844-589-4586 or online at FrancisAviation.com

Interviews and high-resolution photos are available on request.