Northern Jet has named private aviation veteran Matthew Harris as Chief Executive Officer, placing flight operations, maintenance, and customer support under his day-to-day leadership as the company expands its aircraft management and charter operations.
Harris takes over as CEO on October 2, 2026, bringing more than 25 years of private aviation experience across fractional ownership, jet card, charter and aircraft management operations. He will oversee Northern Jet’s flight operations, maintenance, customer experience and the teams supporting its aircraft management, fractional ownership and Private Advantage Card programmes.
From an MRO perspective, the leadership change places technical operations and fleet management alongside customer service as key areas of Harris’s mandate. Northern Jet operates its own aircraft and maintains and flies the fleet to its own standards, making maintenance planning, aircraft availability, safety and operational reliability central to its service model.
Chris Bull, who has served as CEO since the 2023 combination of SpeedBird and Northern Jet Management, will become Co-Chairman alongside Chuck Cox. Bull will focus on strategic growth, including new programmes, partnerships and market expansion.
“Everything we do at Northern Jet starts with making a difference for our customers. Matthew shares that philosophy and brings the leadership, experience, and operational discipline to carry it forward as we enter our next chapter of growth. With Matthew leading the business day to day, I can focus more of my energy on Northern Jet’s long-term vision, strategic opportunities, and where we go next. Most importantly, our customers gain a CEO who understands that in private aviation, every detail matters and every trip is personal,” said Chris Bull, Co-Chairman, Northern Jet.
Maintenance and operations move under new CEO
Harris’s previous roles provide experience across aircraft operations and customer service. At NetJets, where he spent 14 years, he ultimately served as Executive Vice President of Owner and Employee Service, overseeing service delivery for more than 5,000 corporate and high-net-worth customers and aircraft owners.
He later co-founded The Milestone Aviation Group and served as Chief Operating Officer, before most recently holding the position of Chief Strategy & Growth Officer at Magellan Jets.
As Northern Jet expands, his remit includes maintaining the operational infrastructure required to support its fleet. This includes coordinating flight operations and maintenance activities, managing aircraft availability and ensuring that technical support aligns with customer requirements.
“What drew me to Northern Jet is that the promise is real. Personal, Private, Authentic isn’t a slogan here. You see it in a team that knows its customers by name, and in an operator that flies its own aircraft to its own standards. My job is to protect that and to build the operating backbone that lets it grow: safety first, every time, and then service that makes every hour of a customer’s time count,” said Matthew Harris, Chief Executive Officer, Northern Jet.
Northern Jet’s operating model covers aircraft management, fractional aircraft ownership and its Private Advantage Card jet card programme. Supporting these activities requires coordination across maintenance planning, aircraft inspections, parts and component support, technical records and day-to-day operational readiness.
Harris holds a B.S. in Aviation Management from Florida Institute of Technology. His operational background also includes experience in aircraft asset management and leasing, providing additional exposure to the technical and lifecycle requirements associated with business aviation fleets.
Chuck Cox, Chairman of Northern Jet, said Harris’s experience was a key factor in the appointment.
Also Read – West Star Aviation appoints Jason Taylor as Chief Information Officer to drive digital transformation
“When we brought Northern Jet Management and SpeedBird together, we said it had to be with people who share our values and our commitment to putting customers first. Matthew exceeds that standard. He has led service for some of the most demanding flyers in the world, and he understands that in this business, trust is earned one flight at a time,” said Chuck Cox, Chairman, Northern Jet.
The appointment comes as Northern Jet continues to develop its operator-controlled fleet across the light, midsize, super-midsize and heavy aircraft categories. For the company’s maintenance organization, continued fleet growth will require scalable technical support, maintenance planning and operational processes capable of maintaining aircraft availability as the business expands.
