Greg McDougall Founder & CEO Harbour Air

Born in California on December 20, 1955, to Canadian parents, Greg spent every summer at his family’s remote, water- or air-access only cabin in British Columbia, Canada. That early exposure to the coast and his first float plane ride at age six, gave Greg the taste of aviation and a determination to one day become a pilot.

Greg’s aviation career began in 1975, earning his Private Pilot Licence to his first pilot job in 1977 in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, to eventually starting his own airline; Harbour Air Ltd. in 1982. Over the years Harbour Air grew from a 2 plane, charter only operation that primarily serviced the forest industry and remote fishing camps, to what it is today; North America’s largest all-seaplane airline that services over 500,000 passengers per year on tours, scheduled service routes and private charter flights using a showcase fleet of more than 40 seaplanes. Harbour Air operates 9 terminals in the centres of British Columbia largest coastal communities, offers 12 scheduled service routes and in 2018 began service between downtown Vancouver and downtown Seattle, WA. Through its dedication to safety, service and innovation, Harbour Air has reshaped the transportation landscape in British Columbia, been recognized as one of the top places to work in Canada, one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies as well as recognized for it’s outstanding contribution to safety.

Today, still as CEO of Harbour Air, with over 12,000 hours logged, countless National and International awards and, in 2019, an induction into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame, Greg McDougall has partnered with magniX, the company powering the electric aviation revolution, to take on a new goal; to build and personally pilot the world’s first fully electric commercial aircraft. This latest endeavor of Greg’s successfully launched on December 10th, 2019 with Greg at the throttle and, once again, garnered worldwide attention. Next, Greg plans to work with regulators to convert the entire Harbour Air fleet.

To Greg, that early taste of aviation is still strong and drives him to continue to evolve and innovate Harbour Air. “If we sit here looking out the window, one day there is going to be something out there that’s going to rock your world. I want to be the one flying it, not the one watching it.”

Greg lives in Squamish, British Columbia and when he’s not revolutionizing the future of clean aviation, he can be found biking the backcountry or working with his family on their farm bringing sustainable farming practices to his community.