Nearly sixty years of Texas aviation heritage.
Business Air is one of the oldest FAA-certificated charter operators in the United States. Under new ownership, we are combining that legacy with the operational discipline and technology investment the industry has long needed.
A legacy certificate. A new standard.
Established in 1966. Returning to passenger operations.
Business Air, Inc. was established in 1966 and began operating under its FAA Part 135 certificate the following year, in 1967. It has held that certificate continuously ever since. For most of that history, the company operated under the Air Now brand, building a reputation for safe, reliable cargo operations across the United States.
Today, Business Air is returning to its passenger-aviation roots. After decades focused on air cargo, the company is rebuilding the passenger side of the certificate to offer private jet management and on-demand charter. Charter flights conducted during the transition are operated by certificated Part 135 air carriers with the appropriate authorities; we name the operator of record before any booking is finalized.
In 2023, the company was acquired by a group of private aviation veterans who saw something rare: a certificated operator with deep operational roots and none of the institutional inertia that holds larger companies back.
The people behind the certificate.
Daniel Kearns
Private aviation runs in Daniel's blood. His father founded Dee Howard Aircraft Sales in San Antonio in 1983 and Noise Reduction Engineering, a hushkit company for the CF700 engine, in 1988. Daniel followed that path to UT Austin and UT McCombs, then spent nearly twenty years buying, selling, and managing large turbine aircraft across Central Texas. Before aviation, he served as an infantry paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division.
- · VP Aircraft Management, Jet Linx Austin
- · Director Aircraft Management, Cutter Aviation
- · Director Aircraft Sales, TWC Aviation and Charlie Bravo Aviation
- · UT Austin and UT McCombs School of Business
- · US Army 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg
Capt. Eddie Lindsey
Captain Lindsey is a United States Air Force veteran and retired United Airlines Captain with more than 20,000 flight hours accumulated across a career spanning five decades.
- · Retired United Airlines Captain
- · Type rated: B-787, B-747, B-767, B-757, A-300, DC-10, B-737, B-727, DC-9, F-27
- · United States Air Force veteran
- · MBA and BS Mechanical Engineering
Steve Geldmacher
Steve's career spans the highest levels of American corporate leadership. He was a founding team member at Sprint, helping build the company to number 40 on the Fortune 500. He later founded Texas Air Shuttle and served as CFO of Air Transport Network, where he negotiated a guaranteed contract with UPS Logistics and raised eight million dollars in capital.
- · Founding team, Sprint (Fortune 500, $15B in revenue)
- · CEO and Co-Founder, Texas Air Shuttle (FAA Part 135)
- · CFO, Air Transport Network (UPS Logistics contract)
- · FAA Agent for Service, Drug Program Manager, DER
Three things that do not change flight to flight.
Safety is a baseline, not a differentiator.
Every flight we operate meets FAA Part 135 standards. We do not treat regulatory compliance as a selling point. We treat it as the minimum acceptable standard for putting passengers in the air.
Transparency in every direction.
Aircraft owners receive full financial reporting. Charter clients always know exactly who is operating their flight.
Continuity that means something.
Continuous operation since 1967 is not a marketing claim. It represents nearly six decades of FAA oversight, safety audits, operational records, and maintained standards.
One of the oldest air carriers in Texas.
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