Wayne Heller

Wayne proudly serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Airways, continuing a highly successful, decades-long career in aviation operations.

After over 15 years of service, Wayne retired as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from Republic Airways Holdings in 2015. Republic Airways was a holding company that owned up to six regional and low cost airlines. During Wayne’s tenure, Republic grew from a small turboprop operation to the nation’s second largest regional airline, later acquiring and operating Frontier Airlines and Midwest Express Airlines.

Wayne was the chief architect of a strategic growth plan that focused on training thousands of pilots to support a rapidly expanding organization that grew from a handful of Saab 340 aircraft to nearly 300 Embraer, Bombardier and Airbus jet aircraft.

Under Wayne’s leadership Republic introduced several training initiatives that led to higher quality pilot training programs and helped in creating one of the nation’s safest airlines.

Today, Wayne continues that legacy with Sterling Airways, while serving the industry as a board member and advisor to numerous airlines and aviation organizations.