Skyfirst CEO Olivier Perdriel on geopolitical flight-path disruptions and the future of private aviation

0:11Hello and welcome to The Entrepreneurs on Monocle Radio, a show all about inspiring people, innovative companies and fresh ideas in global business. On this week's show, we'll find out what it takes to deliver seamless private aviation in an increasingly unpredictable world. If the local countries they're going is getting complex, then our job is getting complex as well. The most important is really to focus on making sure you provide a good service and you anticipate any struggle and ready to also react when something happens. And later, we'll hear about a media company changing how Vietnam tells its story to the world.

0:49Olivier Perdriel:It's starting to get a bit easier for entrepreneurs to do business. I think historically it's been difficult. I would say also consumers are very first adopter mentality, so they want to try new things. And they're very open to the world too. This is The Entrepreneurs, with me, Tom Edwards.

1:14You're listening to The Entrepreneurs. Olivier Pertiel is the founder and CEO of SkyFirst, a boutique private aviation company specialising in ultra-long-range aircraft management and bespoke charter services for business leaders around the world. Having launched the business with a single aircraft in the aftermath of the financial crisis, Olivier has grown Sky First into a trusted operator, known for its hands-on service, operational excellence and human-first approach. Olivier stopped by our studio in Paris to discuss the state of the global private aviation market, navigating the current geopolitical tensions, and why exceptional aircraft management is about far more than simply flying from A to B.

1:58He began by telling me about the start of the journey. It started 14 years ago with a Learjet 45, Bombardier Learjet 45. It was just after the crisis. I was in business aviation in Paris and doing some charter, and I found one owner with his aircraft with no more operator. And at the same time, I was seeing that the level of service was lowering after the crisis. So I offered him an option to create an AOC and try to do a high-end service on a boutique operator. And it all started with that aircraft, which then became bigger aircraft, still a boutique. We now operate five long-range aircraft, but we went from the small European aircraft to the ultra-long-range dedicated fleet, basically.

2:48Well, yeah, and tell us a bit about that, the state of the market today, because we always find it interesting here, the different pace, the different structural forces that are working on private aviation compared to the big commercial flyers, of course. I don't know, give us a temperature take of the private market right now, Olivier. Where are we? Maybe we'll come to Iran and the Gulf issues in a moment, but more broadly on a macro level. How's the market today? Well, the market is quite good because if you look at the OEMs, the manufacturer have orders for the next two years. So technically, we have a lot of brand new aircraft that are coming in.

3:29So on that point of view, it's quite a good market. The number of flights are steadily or even increasing. If you look at the US, for example, it's actually quite booming, which is quite interesting despite the actual situation worldwide in geopolitics. So if we look rapidly, it looks really good. On the other hand, and then, yeah, we have to go through the actual geopolitics that exist today. There is a lot of uncertainty, I would say. Uncertainty creates difficulties, I would say, in our business, especially when it comes to flying all around the world and overflying a lot of countries, which sometimes you cannot overfly them, you cannot go there.

4:11So the business is good, I would say, but the uncertainty creates some difficulties to see where we're heading. Well, yeah, and let's look at that, because, of course, our listeners, they're pretty savvy. They probably travel on private aircraft frequently, one imagines. And they'll understand those operational challenges. As you said, overflying, there's route planning, there's complexities about restrictions which can change quite rapidly. I'm sure that is a big issue when it comes to insurance and other protocols. But structurally, how does the private aviation sector build in the capacity to handle this kind of volatility?

4:51Because I often talk about it in wealth management. You know, can you price in geopolitical uncertainty? It's very difficult. How do you do that structurally when you're running a private aviation business? I would say when we have the instability, the more important is to stay steady on our side and keep the good work as much as possible. Be even more careful. As you said, complexity of operating with insurances and lending permits, which are changing in hours sometimes. So the more important is to really focus on what we're doing and make sure that we anticipate all those, I wouldn't say issues, but complexities.

5:30And that's more important. It's really to stay focused as much as possible, anticipate and be able to answer all the needs. Obviously, those needs become more complex also because the clients need to do business. Most of our flights are business, of course, and they need to do business worldwide. So if the local countries are going is getting complex and our job is getting complex as well. So, yeah, I would say the most important is really to focus on making sure you provide a good service and you anticipate any struggle and be reactive, ready to also react when something happens. Let's talk about aircraft management, Olivia, because I find this absolutely fascinating.

6:13And there's so many kind of elements to this that I think are interesting. And given Sky First's expertise and its reputation in this field, presumably it involves building relationships, obviously with clients, but also with OEMs, as you said, with regulators, vendors. Can you just tell us a bit about how aircraft management works? Because I guess people understand that there's private individuals that own their aircraft, but actually many, most, maybe you've got the numbers, they outsource the kind of general management to people like you, right? Yeah, absolutely. So you have two types. You have the owners that are really private, which mean they buy the aircraft for themselves or their company.

6:56Most of the aircraft are in their companies and they buy it for their needs. And they stay in what we call private. So in that case, they would create their own private departments with pilots and technical people in-house. And then you have what we call the charter management, which is where we are here. And in that case, yes, they do give the entire management of the aircraft to us, operators. And that means from the crew, the training, the recruitments, the maintenance, the flight planning, of course, but also the compliance and all the regulations that we have to manage worldwide. And then, as you just said, the relations that we have all over the world, because a handler who's going to handle your aircraft at an arrival, you also need to have a very good relation with him so that you make sure that when you arrive, even with the delays or anticipation, that they're ready for you and for your clients.

7:51so as you said it's really a human approach job and it is more and more today picking up the phone is more and more important to make sure that everything is covered well i know you pride yourself don't you olivier on how hands-on you are how accountable you are to your clients i i sense you really mean that like people want to get you on the phone you'll you'll be there and that has its own challenges i'm sure for you personally but why is it so important to you i don't know is the sort of the what's the word the superpower of sky first is that that personal approach the human the fact that you bring that accessibility to your client base i mean it seems that that really does trump everything else is that is that is that your key i don't know strategic advantage as a business absolutely absolutely it's the the entire team that that i'm working with and i'm i would say I'm very proud of them because they're doing a great job.

8:49And it is really the fact that we put humans first. We contact everyone. We try. We're not perfect, of course, but we're doing everything we can on the human aspect and human approach to be able to anticipate all the problems. You talked about reputation. Reputation is very important. Even in South America, you can have a good reputation with the local people that are going to handle your aircraft. and then by definition they will take better care of you if they like you. I mean this is the way. So it's very complex, it's a lot of work, but it's quite simple. You have to get in with good relation on the back side and back office, which is a lot of work, so that when we have our passenger coming in, we can make sure that they have the smoothest transportation from A to B and that everything is going to flow.

9:40And to answer your question on what is driving us, I would tell you that we do take care of our clients the best we can because we know that most of the flights we're doing are for business purposes. And therefore, we know that they fly by night most of the time and we know they're going to head to maybe a complex meeting. So if we do a very smooth, nice and efficient service on board, we like to think that we're increasing their efficiency at the arrival for their meetings. So in a certain way, what drives us is the fact that we believe that we're part of the success of our clients. Let's talk about aircraft for a bit.

10:20Lots of aircraft geeks here at Monocle. You probably know that already, Olivier. And let's talk about your fleet. We go from aircraft, people will know, Cessna Citation, sort of mid-sized jets, but right up, ultra long range. You already mentioned them at the top. You've got G550s, G650s. I don't know. Tell me about a couple of aircraft because presumably, I don't know, are you allowed to have favorites? Or is that like asking people to choose their favorite of their children? Yeah, I would say it's a bit like with the children. Well, today we operate mainly Dassault's Falcon 900, 7X and 8X and some Bombardier Global Express.

11:02I would say, I mean, every aircraft is a bit different. I don't have a favorite because it's more the client's needs, I would say, that answers that question usually. But no, any aircraft we operate, we're very happy to have them. And as I said, we're trying to make the best of the aircraft, whatever it is, whatever the size of it. so that we managed to get the service done. But no, I wouldn't go there. I wouldn't say I have a favorite. So you're a diplomat as well as an aviation leader. But, I mean, I would say they all have their plus and minus, but they all have their plus. And, I mean, if you go the three bigs, there are Gulfstream, of course, Dassault and Bombardier.

11:47And they all have very interesting, either the cabin, the flying, the speed, the maintenance way of working. So you have advantages on each and it's interesting to be able to work on several. This is one of the things we have at Skyfers that we have all those brands in operation and it is very interesting to see that they have different sometimes even state of mind. One is an American, one is a French. So obviously you also have different contacts with the manufacturer and how to handle them. So it's very interesting and very dynamic. I would say. Well, just on aircraft, I gather you were, I think you were at the rollout.

12:26Is that right for the Falcon 10X aircraft from Dassault? Tell me a bit about that because whilst, as you said, you mustn't choose favorites, it must still be a real thrill and must be fascinating to imagine the possibilities of what innovation from the airframers can do for your business. That's a recent rollout, got quite a lot of headlines. Just tell me, yeah, tell me what your impressions were and again, how excited are you, not just with Dassault aircraft, but others that you've mentioned in terms of what they can add and how they can take the service you can offer to your clients to another level?

12:58Well, yeah, definitely. I mean, the rollout of the 10X was really something. It's always nice to see new aircraft coming in because it's also new technologies and it goes for the future. I like tech. I'm a big tech fan as well. And seeing those new aircraft with new technologies that are going to fly in the future, it's always very interesting. I mean, the 10X, for example has its mono manette so you only have one speed throttle there you go so mono throttle handling both engines i mean new technologies are always very interesting it will clearly bring more range more safety more comfort for the clients the new cabin the pressurization it's i mean it's really exciting to see those new aircraft coming and so i cannot wait for the aircraft to see it flying and start to see the first deliveries.

13:50Tell me about where you still need more though, Olivier. I don't know whether if we talk about, I don't know, the regulatory environment, whether we talk about the cost of fuel or other supply chain problems, or whether it's support in terms of working in a business like yours that is necessarily so multi-market, you're working constantly across national lines, it's about the coherence of the global networks that you have to adhere to. Tell me where you could use greater progress, more support, better resources. Are there any areas where you think, ah, this is something that would actually make it a lot easier to do our work?

14:27Well, you talked about regulation. Unfortunately, I would say we're adding up regulation every year and never reducing it. So it's becoming very complex. You need more and more people at the back office writing the books and the manuals of how to operate. So one could think that with, you know, the new technologies, AI and etc., we could simplify that work, which I hope would happen at some point. And then the other one, which is, well, we're on a global internet connected world. But in reality, every single country, every single continent is working very differently. And it's not getting better, funnily.

15:06So our work, once again, is even more complex to be able to travel. I mean, just look at the, if you look at a map with all the zones that were not allowed to overflight. I mean, in 15 years, it got really, really worse. So we have to work with those complexities. And yeah, in a world, in a global world where we are today, I would expect more standardization and efficiency. Well, let's talk just maybe a little bit, Olivier, about specifically the Middle East. and we've been charting its rise as like potentially the definitive global hub and clearly problems broiling on rolling on just tell me someone who does what you do and providing the service at the levels you constantly commit to maintaining give us a sense on the day-to-day how do you navigate something like that because when's the end date what's the the borders even of the problem are kind of flexing constantly.

16:06How do you possibly deal with that? It sounds like a nightmare. Well, it is, it is. But as I said earlier, we don't have much choice, basically. We have to adapt, stay focused on making the flights we have and making the best way possible, anticipate all those issues and the fact that they're growing. I mean, we could do a flight maybe to Dubai and then you're mid-flight and you have to go back because then, you know, it's closed again. So we have to adapt. We're adapting as much as we can, but mainly on the operational side. Then when it comes to the fuel, etc., we're trying to compensate with our pricing, of course.

16:44It's not always easy because the market is very tense, but we're trying to do that. And so I would tell you we're really dealing on a day-to-day basis, obviously hoping that the war would end as soon as possible. Well, all of them, because the market would be very interesting. But yeah, day to day, I would tell you. Okay, we'll hold you to that. Let's just flip things around, Olivier. Let me ask you about your customers. Now, I tend to say to people, ah, tell me the typical SkyFirst customer. But actually, the whole point is right. There is no typical customer. Everyone is atypical, maybe. But talk to me a little bit in general terms about the kind of clients that you most enjoy working with.

17:28I would tell you we enjoy flying with all our customers because, as I said, we're bringing them from A to B. We're making them gain time, and we like to believe we're participating in what they're doing. But I would say the typical client is more the CEO or the high-end businesses which are dealing business worldwide. That's the typical client we have. So obviously, we have a typical client, but they're all different. They all want different things. but the efficiency I would say is really to to be able to adapt to their need and bring them in the best condition possible at their destination but yeah mainly the typical I would say is the business high individual and I know you you're a man we said you're a honed diplomat and you're very discreet as well of course Olivier but do you ever get slightly I don't know vainglorious crazy requests from anybody or actually are your clientele they're all very sensible people are Well, so we do have crazy demands, but more on the interesting side, I would give you an example.

18:37We went a couple of months ago to Bhutan, which is a very complex place to go because you need a lot of authorization. The airport to land there is very complex. You need to have a guide on board with you, guiding you in the middle of the mountains because you're landing in the middle of the mountains. So we had to send the crew to simulator previous to prepare the landings there. So it took us a couple of months to prepare everything so that we could make sure to make that demand and the flight for this client in the best position possible. So is it crazy? I don't know, but we like it. This is what we like.

19:17We like to do that. But another time we were asked to go in a very small island in Africa where there was no big jets that were usually landing there. So there was a question of the fire category truck, which was not present at the airport. So one of our guys had an ID called the mayor of the town and said, well, would you have a bigger fire truck in your town? He said, yeah, we do. So, well, if you can bring it to the airport, we might get the authorization from our authority to do the flight. And we did it. So, yeah, those are the kind of things we're asked, usually because those people are either they're doing businesses there and being able to bring them the clothing, once again, increase their efficiency.

20:01So we like the challenge. We cannot say yes to everything, of course, but we like the challenge. That was Olivier Pedriel, the founder and CEO of SkyFirst. And you can find out more about the business by heading to skyfirst.aero.

20:27You're listening to The Entrepreneurs. Hal Tran is a Vietnamese-American entrepreneur and the founder of Vietcetera, a bilingual digital media company started in 2016 that's based in Ho Chi Minh City. I caught up with Hao on a recent trip to Shanghai to discuss building a media business in Vietnam and the country's role within the global economy. Hao began by telling me how he came up with the name of the business.

20:54Olivier Perdriel:So it's a combination of the words Vietnam and etc. Draw a lot of inspiration from Monaco, although we're completely digital. We don't have any physical products, although we do offline events. So tell me about Vietcetro. What was the kind of origin story? Was this one of these examples of a business where you felt there was an underserviced section of the business or of the sector or of the community? Yeah. Is it the expression of, I don't know, an itch you'd been longing to scratch? Tell me a little bit about the beginnings of it. Yeah. So I'm Vietnamese American, born in the States. My parents were refugees in the 70s.

21:30Olivier Perdriel:They went to the States from Vietnam. And I grew up in America where we had no connection to Vietnam at all. We had Vietnamese food, but that was about it. And when I was 23, I made a trip out to Vietnam just out of curiosity. I went through other parts of Asia as well. And it was on that trip that I realized Vietnam was actually a place you could live, not just visit, but you can live and work. That was back in 2015. And I think today the narrative of Vietnam is still very much the same on a global level. It's an interesting country to some. But how would you think of and define a Vietnam today, Tom?

22:10Olivier Perdriel:I don't know if you've ever been or know anything about that. Well, I've not been, but I know we're lucky at Monaco. We get to train a lens that tends to focus on avenues of opportunity. We tend to hear stories from entrepreneurs exactly like yourself, somehow, who are actually sort of, you know, either returning or moving in pursuit of untold stories. So in a way, I guess we try to avoid the cliches that look for these openings and people who are looking at things differently. But I'm intrigued. Tell me about the nature of the environment to begin a business or to kick off something. Is it an environment that's supportive for entrepreneurship broadly?

22:48Olivier Perdriel:I think the kind of spirits of the Vietnamese people, it's all about this mentality of like survival. I think Asia is kind of it's gone through so many difficult times the last few decades. And Vietnamese, especially if you look at the generation today, they're hungry. They want to grow. They want James Chambers, your Asia editor. He was just telling me earlier that and he's been in Asia for some time now that whenever he comes to Vietnam, He feels like it was China 15, 20 years ago. So the spirit of the next generation, they want to get the country to the next level. So the spirit is there. I think everything from government support to kind of the bureaucratic red tape, it's starting to get a bit easier for entrepreneurs to do business.

23:35Olivier Perdriel:I think historically it's been difficult. But the people around you, and I would say also consumers are very first adopter mentality. So they want to try new things. And they're very open to the world, too. I think we see a lot of places in the world are becoming perhaps a little bit more nationalist. And I think that's everywhere. I don't know what you're talking about specifically, but the other side of the Pacific, maybe. Yeah, no, exactly. But in Vietnam, especially, it's very open to the world. Like, social media is available. There's no blocking. It's a communist country, of course, but it's very open to the world.

24:10Olivier Perdriel:And they need the world. They want the world. So it's a great place to do business. Talk to me about your audience then. Are you talking to Vietnamese in Vietnam? Are you talking to the diaspora globally, particularly in the US, I imagine, for the reasons that you mentioned? Or is it actually it's not about a Vietnamese audience, even by heritage, it's to anybody who's interested in the stories of telling? Who are you talking to? Yeah, so since day one, our mission has been to bring Vietnam to the world and the world to Vietnam. So the idea that Vietnam is a misunderstood place and the world, especially as Vietnam becomes a top 20 economy, 20 years, it's going to be a top 20 economy.

24:50Olivier Perdriel:And people don't know, but it's actually one of the largest population countries in the world, too. It's 100 million people. So, you know, to better answer your question, people are super curious about this place and we want to bring those stories. So we are bilingual, predominantly Vietnamese, but I think that's mostly just a function of the audience size. We actually started in English and we retained that. We really believe that's one of our most valuable, unique selling points as a media company, because the narrative to bring Vietnam to the world, it's getting more and more important as it becomes part of a global economy.

25:26Olivier Perdriel:And even tourism, that'll give you a big picture about the opportunity. Last year, Vietnam welcomed 21 million tourists in 2025. Today, this year, wants 25 million. Wow. Now, in comparison, the two other giant Asian countries for tourism is Thailand, Japan. Thailand had 38 million last year, give or take. I believe Japan was around 41, 42 million. So in Vietnam, which has 100 million people, so it's just as large as Japan, basically. It's larger than Thailand and population-wise. If it were to double its population size, the opportunity is massive from a tourism point of view. Just think about the number of stories and connections that are made from that.

26:12Olivier Perdriel:So it's a wonderful time to be doing business in Vietnam and its relation to the world, actually. Beautiful stories, a really brilliant business. Thanks for telling us a little bit more about it. Great to share with you. Thanks for having me share today. That was Hao Tran, the founder of Vietcetera Media. And you can find out more by heading to vietcetera.com.

26:43And that's all for this episode of The Entrepreneurs. We'll be back at the same time next week. The programme's produced by Laura Kramer with audio editing by Jack Dewars. Listen again and find out more about the show at monocle.com. That's where you can also subscribe to Monocle magazine and ensure you're reading more about better businesses every month. You can also follow us and catch up with the archive wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd like to get in touch with the team, do email me or message Laura on lrk at monocle.com. I'm Tom Edwards. Goodbye. And thanks for listening to The Entrepreneurs.

27:26Thank you.