How Abdol Moabery Turned Vision into Innovation—and Built a Billion-Dollar Aviation Empire

By any measure, Abdol Moabery is not your average aerospace executive. The founder and CEO of GA Telesis speaks with the energy of a man who still sees every challenge as an opportunity, every barrier as something waiting to be redefined. Since recognizing that ‘a crisis is an opportunity’ in 2002, Moabery has taken a contrarian path in a traditionally cautious industry—and built a billion-dollar aviation juggernaut along the way.

"Entrepreneurship and safety are kind of an oxymoron," Moabery reflects. "The best time to start a company is when the industry you're trying to address is distracted or broken."

That mindset led him to found GA Telesis in 2002, when airlines were in deep crisis. His goal? To help carriers navigate their worst days by reimagining how the cost associated with commercial aircraft and jet engine assets were managed. His initial focus was jet engine operating costs and a new program he called Green Time Leasing™—a bold, risk-sharing solution that was hard to sell at first. 

Abdol, a U.S. Navy veteran and the son of immigrants, had a new-born child and mortgage but with his wife’s support, together they were willing to make a bet on his idea, a bet that would turn out to be the gamble of a lifetime and one that would create a new path for airlines, one that is still in prevalent use some 23 years later . 

Within two years, Moabery had some of the world's leading airlines on board: Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa Airlines, Air France, Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines. The rest, as they say, is history. 

From Growth to Global Impact

In just less than a decade, GA Telesis passed $1 billion in assets under management. A milestone Moabery acknowledges but never fixated on, merely an organic consequence of success.

"It was never about the number," he says. "Our focus has always been on performance, execution, and delivering real value to our partners, but especially our customers."

The company has grown into one of the world’s most trusted commercial aerospace  ecosystems, with business lines that span component and jet engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), component and supply chain solutions, aircraft and jet engine leasing and financing, and digital transformation addressing both AI and Blockchain technologies. It serves commercial airlines, MROs, OEMs, and lessors around the world, while also being a essential provider of key platform services to the defense sector–all with a mix of speed, transparency, and execution.

Central to that growth has been Moabery’s insistence on cultural fit and work ethic over resumes.

"You don't always get your first choice when hiring," he admits. "But we've built a team that believes in the mission. Our senior leadership—some with P&L authority—have been with me for years. This isn't just a job to them. They're part of the story and growth vision."

That story is one of aggressive, sustained growth. As Moabery puts it: "20% annual growth is easy when you're going from $20 million to $24 million. It's a lot harder from $1 billion to $1.2 billion. Yet we keep doing it."

The strategy has allowed GA Telesis to scale not only quickly but intelligently. Strategic acquisitions have helped bolster capabilities, such as the recent purchase of AAR Landing Gear Services. That deal increased GA Telesis’ headcount by 40%, bringing fresh talent and additional capacity under one cohesive vision. "It’s about teaching the culture, not just the systems," Moabery says. "We’re not here to slash and cut. We build, we scale and then we do it again."

Turning Crisis into Opportunity

GA Telesis' response to COVID is a case study in bold, values-driven leadership. As the industry shut down, many of GA Telesis’ competitors froze hiring, laid off staff, forced retirements and scaled back operations. Moabery doubled down.

"We were deemed an essential service and decided no one would work from home, because our aircraft and jet engine technicians couldn't. We all showed up. We didn’t lay off a single employee. We expanded inventory. We kept global operations moving and made sure that the airlines that were flying could fly, despite all of the obstacles we faced."

That decision paid off. Post pandemic, while competitors were recovering, GA Telesis was already operating at full throttle–plus. The company gained market share, deepened partnerships, and reinforced its position as a reliable, unshakable pillar in the commercial aviation industry.

This mindset reflects a deeper strategy Moabery began formalizing in 2016/17: the GA Telesis Ecosystem™. No longer viewing other players in the industry as mere rivals, he recast them as essential components of a larger whole.

"Airlines are the oxygen of our ecosystem," he says. "Without them, none of us exist."

Today, GA Telesis purchases significant levels of inventory from competitors and OEMs, performs MRO work for rival providers, including OEMs, and offers financing solutions to other leasing companies. Why? Because if an airline gets what it needs, the entire ecosystem wins–the airlines win.

"Leadership means doing what’s right for the system, not just your bottom line," Moabery explains. "It’s not just good ethics—it’s good business and it all seems to follow a natural order."

This inclusive, system-first mindset extends even further through the company's LIFT division, which provides financial services to clients across the aviation ecosystem—including direct competitors. "It’s not about owning everything," Moabery insists. "It’s about ensuring assets stay flying and airlines are abler to access the airplanes and jet engines they need to keep their operations going and growing."

Local Roots, Global Reach

GA Telesis now operates in over 30 countries, with recent expansions into key aviation hubs like San Salvador. These moves are not just about scale, but about proximity and context.

"Being close means better understanding their challenges and delivering solutions faster. It builds trust and alignment," Moabery says.

San Salvador in particular offers access to a growing aviation workforce and improves responsiveness across the Americas. "It’s not just a new operation," he adds. "It’s a symbol of how committed we are to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our airline partners to the south."

And in every region, GA Telesis reinforces its values not just through business operations but through consistent, proactive philanthropy. Charity isn’t a marketing tactic; it’s a cornerstone of our commitment to a culture we have had since day one.

"We live it every day," Moabery says. "If we’re fortunate enough to succeed in business in a region, we have an obligation to lift others up in the same region and beyond. We are trying to elevate a future we will all share."

One of the company’s signature efforts is the GA Telesis Orange Bowl Golf Tournament, which brings together industry partners—including its competitors, OEMs and airlines—to raise funds for children and education-focused charities. The event has raised millions over the years and is emblematic of GA Telesis’ “bigger picture” ethos. 

Redefining the Future of Aviation and Aerospace

“I don’t sleep a lot,” says Abdol Moabery. “It’s not because I’m worried or losing sleep over operations—our teams are world-class. It’s because my mind never shuts off. I’m always thinking, always building on what’s next.”

Moabery recalls how, in the early hours of countless mornings, his vision for digitally transforming the airline industry began to take shape. “Back in 2015, I started dreaming up what a truly connected, aviation ecosystem could look like. It wasn’t just a passing thought—it became an obsession and I spent a lot of time personally mapping it out.”

That obsession fueled the development of a series of patents that took years to design, refine, and protect. In 2021, he began presenting the concept to major airlines, and their response was one of astonishment. “They were amazed,” he says. “Not just by the technology, but by the foresight—how far ahead we were thinking.”

“Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” he adds. “It happens when you can’t stop thinking about what’s next—and then you actually go build it.”

In 2023, the company updated its motto from "Intelligently Defining the Future of Aviation" to "Intelligently Defining the Future of Aviation and Aerospace."

It wasn't just a branding refresh—it was a statement of strategic intent. GA Telesis decided to  aggressively expand into adjacent sectors  and made the deliberate decision to announce its own digital transformation, while also announcing its WILBUR project. The Worldwide Integrated Blockchain Unified Registry is a Blockchain and Web3-enabled technology intended to revolutionize and digitally transform the airline industry. By the summer of 2024, GA Telesis announced the opening of its technology R&D Center in Ankara, Türkiye. 

"This isn’t about legacy. It’s about transformation," says Moabery. "We will lead the shift—as we do not believe an outsider can do it successfully."

He draws a comparison to Tesla: "They didn’t just build an electric motor. They changed the game by redefining the customer experience. We’re trying to do the same for commercial aviation."

“Our vision is real, and it is our intention to continue to push digital solutions that streamline fleet management and tracking, predict maintenance needs, optimize logistics, and reduce carbon footprints.” He said. Though the R&D costs are steep, Moabery is undeterred.

"We make zero revenue from it right now—but when we succeed, the entire industry changes for the better. That’s leadership."

The Relentless Drive of a Founder

Much of Moabery’s story is underpinned by his personal journey. An immigrant raised by hardworking parents who arrived in the U.S. with virtually nothing, he was shaped by his parents vision of achieving the American Dream. He served in the U.S. Navy. He took enormous personal risks to start GA Telesis from a small desk in the corner  of his bedroom—a new mortgage, a newborn, and no safety net. In fact, in those early years, he financed his family’s existence drawing down on a home equity loan and a number of credit cards

"For me the turmoil caused to the industry by the terrorist attacks of 9/11 was just noise," he says. "The real risk—for me—was letting my family down."

Even today, with financial success and industry accolades, Moabery remains restless. He received his industry’s life time achievement award at 51 years of age, some 15 years younger than the previous youngest recipient

"Every time I hit a goal, I forget to celebrate. Because I’m already focused on the next one. Success isn’t a number to me. It’s a mindset. It’s waking up every day with purpose, pushing past comfort, and choosing personal and professional growth over obstacles, or better yet fear of failure. I believe my true success is measured not by what I accumulate, but by what I contribute—and who I become in the process."

That drive has never left him. When GA Telesis sold a stake to Merrill Lynch in 2007, Moabery remembers thinking it would feel like an endpoint. "Instead, I looked out that office window at the top of One World Financial Center and thought, ‘This is just the beginning.’"

What Comes Next?

Looking forward, Moabery’s ambitions are clear. GA Telesis will continue expanding its footprint and offerings, especially in the defense and sustainable aviation sectors. But more than that, it will double down on redefining the infrastructure that keeps global air travel alive through its WILBUR system, his patented technology, that he believes will digitally transform the airline industry.

"We want to be the company people turn to not just for solutions, but for vision," Moabery says. "The GA Telesis Ecosystem™ has never been about doing things the old way—it’s about redefining what’s possible, seeing the invisible and executing on it with purpose."

For Abdol Moabery, the skies aren't the limit. They're just the beginning. He has full intention to continue this trajectory and holding to his mantra of Intelligently Defining the Future of Aviation and Aerospace.