About
Andrew Hartslief, CEO
At the helm of Blue Skies Aviation is Andrew Hartslief, an aviation expert whose business background gives him a keen understanding of the problems aircraft owners face.
Now based in Broomfield, Colorado, Andrew grew up in South Africa. After completing a degree in analytical chemistry and his mandatory military service, Andrew started in the restaurant industry in 1992 as a junior store manager and kitchen prep chef for Woodcutters Keg, a franchise restaurant chain. Later he bought his own franchise restaurant and rose to the position of regional franchise manager.
In 1995, Andrew sold the restaurant and embarked on his aviation career. After completing his training at Progress Flight
Academy, his military background helped him get a job with a paramilitary contractor company. He and his coworkers were deployed to conflict areas such as Angola, DRC, Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan to support military operations and move United Nations and military personal to various locations around those countries. During those years, they were taught a specific skill set to keep their aircraft safe and passengers alive; that skill set formed the basis of procedures used for the United Nations Aviation Division, which are still in use today.
Andrew left that posting in 2004 to join a South African-based airline, where he operated on the 767 Fleet until 2007, when he was approached to fly and manage a private jet belonging to A1GP, a well-known name to those familiar with Formula One racing. He flew around the world, visiting various capital cities on all seven continents every month, until 2010, when the business could no longer be sustained due to the worldwide recession.
With the level of intensity and skills he had developed in corporate aviation, Andrew launched Blue Skies Aviation in 2010, operating and managing business aircraft out of Johannesburg, South Africa. He operated the private fleet for the presidencies of DRC, Angola, Brazza-Congo and from time to time the New South African Government.In 2017, Andrew and his then fiancée (now wife) decided to move to the USA to start a new life. In the process, he refocused Blue Skies Aviation to offer jet owners assistance in operating, managing and running their corporate aircraft. Blue Skies Aviation is a trusted resource for an elite group of clients who demand practical service with a personal touch.