Charter & Fractional
Solairus, Flexjet Leaders Talk Future of Bizav
Fresh off acquisitions, Drohan and Varsano say culture outweighs size
NBAA-BACE 2026 newsmakers lunch..
NBAA senior v-p of product development and sales Emily Deaton (left) moderated a session with Flexjet president Steve Varsano (center) and Solairus Aviation founder and CEO Dan Drohan (right) during the newsmakers kickoff lunch. © Mariano Rosales/AIN

Business aviation’s future depends less on how much its companies grow than on keeping their cultures intact, building a deeper talent pipeline, and telling the industry’s story better, according to the executives behind two of the year’s biggest deals. Solairus Aviation founder and CEO Dan Drohan and Flexjet president Steve Varsano shared that outlook during the newsmakers kickoff lunch at NBAA-BACE on Monday.

Both are integrating recent acquisitions. Solairus, based in Petaluma, California, closed its purchase of Clay Lacy Aviation’s aircraft management and charter business less than three weeks ago, growing its managed fleet from 360 aircraft to 496, Drohan said. In June, Flexjet acquired London-based The Jet Business, which Varsano founded, and named him president.

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