Paul de Salis Named Chief Executive of RoyalJet, Abu Dhabi's Private Aviation Operator
Why It MattersAircraft management models that let operators expand capacity without owning every asset outright, paired with charter revenue offsetting owner costs, illustrate how premium private aviation businesses balance growth against balance-sheet exposure.
What happened
Paul de Salis has taken the role of chief executive at RoyalJet, the Abu Dhabi-headquartered private aviation company that operates a fleet of approximately 15 aircraft. RoyalJet provides private charter, aircraft management and medical evacuation services, and also manages VIP terminal operations at Zayed International Airport while maintaining an international base in San Marino.
De Salis brings four decades of aviation experience to the position, spanning both scheduled and business aviation. His responsibilities include overseeing aircraft presentation, crew service, ground handling and digital customer experience, as well as managing the company's medically configured evacuation capability alongside its luxury charter operations.
The San Marino base gives RoyalJet a presence in Europe, providing access to a different regulatory environment and a broader customer network. De Salis will be required to maintain consistent safety management and service standards across both locations.
Industry impact & what to watch
RoyalJet's structure reflects a common approach among Gulf-based private aviation operators that combine a home base serving government, corporate, diplomatic and high-net-worth clients with a secondary international base extending regulatory and market reach. The aircraft management model, which lets a company add managed capacity without carrying every asset on its own balance sheet, works alongside charter demand that helps individual aircraft owners offset operating costs — a pairing that depends on maintaining utilization across both revenue streams.
De Salis now carries priorities spanning fleet optimization, customer loyalty, sustainability reporting and integration of medical evacuation readiness within a premium charter operation. How he balances safety and service consistency between the Abu Dhabi and San Marino bases, given their differing regulatory environments, will be the practical test of whether that dual-base structure delivers the broader customer network it is meant to provide.
