Chairman, KF Aerospace Group

Barry Lapointe’s lifelong passion for aviation began at the age of sixteen, when he first took to the skies. Since then, he has logged more than eighteen thousand flight hours in both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft, built a remarkable career as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, and founded one of Canada’s leading aerospace companies, KF Aerospace, formerly known as Kelowna Flightcraft.

What began as a small aircraft repair business operating from a panel van in the British Columbia Interior has grown under Barry’s leadership into a multifaceted aviation enterprise. Over more than five decades, KF Aerospace has become a respected air cargo operator, engineering, maintenance, and modification provider, Royal Canadian Air Force pilot training organization, and aircraft leasing company.

Today, KF Aerospace stands as Canada’s largest commercial Aircraft Maintenance Organization, employing more than one thousand staff across the country and serving airline and cargo clients around the world. Barry’s leadership has built a company recognized for quality, reliability, and innovation, while remaining proudly rooted in Canada.

Barry has also served on many public and private boards, including as a minority owner and board member of Purolator Courier. His commitment to aviation is reflected in the creation of the KF Centre for Excellence, a world class aviation museum and community hub that celebrates Canada’s aerospace heritage and inspires future generations of aviators.

For his entrepreneurial vision and contributions to Canada’s aviation industry, Barry has received several of the nation’s highest honours, including the Order of British Columbia in 2015, induction into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame in 2019, and appointment to the Order of Canada in 2024.