Cutter Aviation Marks 96 Years as a Southwest FBO Giant, Now Employing Over 275 with Sixth Location Opening in Prescott, Arizona
Why It MattersThe expansion signals continued consolidation and growth in Southwest FBO networks, as family-run aviation service providers scale staffing and locations to meet regional demand.
Cutter Aviation traces its roots to 1928, when William P. Cutter opened a fixed-base operation at Oxnard Airfield in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He began with charter flights across the Southwest before becoming a Beechcraft dealer and authorized service facility after relocating to Kirtland Field — now Albuquerque International Sunport — in 1947. The company expanded to Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport in 1959, added a Deer Valley, Phoenix location in 1997, and opened a San Antonio, Texas facility in 1998. A sixth FBO is now opening in Prescott, Arizona, with more than 30 additional hires anticipated, bringing the company's workforce beyond its current total of more than 275 employees.
William P. Cutter died in 1963; his son Sidney ran the Albuquerque operation until 1974, when brother Bill Cutter took over and continued expanding the business. Bill Cutter, an ATP-rated pilot across fixed-wing, helicopter, and lighter-than-air aircraft with multiple jet and turboprop type ratings, died on December 11, 2018, and was recognized as a longtime advocate for general and business aviation; he had attended the company's 90th anniversary celebration at NBAA in Las Vegas in 2017.
Current president Will Cutter has continued the company's growth in Texas, Colorado, and Arizona. By 2014, Cutter Aviation had 250 employees and nearly $100 million in sales, with projections to exceed $130 million aided by HondaJet sales in 2015. The company maintains longtime supplier relationships with StandardAero (formerly Dallas Airmotive), Boeing Distribution (formerly Aviall), and Phillips 66, the last spanning roughly 80 years.
Will Cutter's daughter Anna Cutter was promoted in 2026 to VP of Cutter Flight Management, while his son Will D. Cutter leads the company's FBO operations in Phoenix. New CFO Peter Hokanson, a veteran of Honeywell and other aviation companies, said Cutter has recently posted some of its best financial quarters and does not expect a slowdown. The company's employee profit-sharing program, CARE (Cash and Recognition for Everyone), distributes a share of monthly profits equally among all staff.
