Rhys Eyton

A leader in Canada’s commercial aviation sector, Rhys Eyton joined the Finance Department of Pacific Western Airlines in 1967. Over the next decade he assumed positions of increasing responsibility until, in March 1976, he was appointed President and CEO of the airline. In addition to streamlining the company, Rhys began to acquire regional carriers and then, in 1987, Canadian Pacific Air Lines. The new company, Canadian Airlines, expanded again following a merger with Wardair. In 1989 Rhys was appointed Chairman, President, and CEO of Canadian Airlines International and served in this capacity until retirement in 1995.

During a transformative era in Canada’s airline industry, which included deregulation, Rhys’s vision, decency, and leadership played a key part in the growth of his company into one of the largest private sector employers in Western Canada; indeed, between 1976 and 1994, revenues rose from approximately $100 Million to $3 Billion. Having shepherded his airline through regional mergers and building it into a true national carrier, there is little question that Rhys Eyton reshaped the nature of the airline industry in Canada.

Widely recognized by his peers, Rhys served as Chairman and Director of the Conference Board of Canada, the Air Transport Association of Canada, and as President of the International Air Transport Association, among many other positions.

For his outstanding contributions to the aviation industry, Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame is pleased to induct Rhys Eyton as a member for 2022.