Joseph Hayat, World's Youngest Airline Boss (VIDEO)

Meet Joseph Hayat, the world's youngest airline owner. At 17, he recently launched HIAir, his own airline charter company in England, providing a bespoke service to customers (though he has yet to have a paying customer fly his airline), according to the BBC.

He is the youngest person ever to start an airline (Richard Branson started Virgin Atlantic at 34). Not only that, but he started an IT consultancy with a classmate last year.

He told the BBC that "anyone could do it, whatever their age is."

If you're not feeling supremely jealous of Hayat's early successes, check out the BBC video below.

WATCH:

Comments

[ciantgock]

06:58 PM on 09/04/2010

I'm not so much jealous of his "success" as I am the cash his parents are obviously giving him to play business dress up in.

[Sonofabeach]

04:00 PM on 09/03/2010

So he bought a Cessna and now says he owns an airline? No paying customers? News must have been slow.

[ebroadcast]

01:28 PM on 09/03/2010

Who in their right mind would want to own an airline?

[xiaodashan]

03:46 AM on 09/03/2010

Great..... a dying breed and out of touch with economic reality at 17 ..just what the British economy needs.

[fleaba]

08:36 PM on 09/02/2010

Aviation is a cut throat business. With backers demanding horrific amounts of ROI all forms of aviation are cutting corners. Look no further than the horrific rash of medevac crashes and you know it isn't just pilot error. It all goes back to mechanics using non certified parts, falsification of documents, etc. etc. It is happening in a lot of places.
If you think it is not happening in the fixed wing area, you are dreaming.

This young man better be ready for a rough ride....owning an airline is not your average start up and the rules are all different.

[Jesse P. Steinberg]

06:58 PM on 09/02/2010

If I had the start-up capital to do so, I would have years ago.

I wish him the best.

[Jeremy Diamond]

06:13 PM on 09/02/2010

funded by family wealth, must be nice.

[elfvis]

05:42 PM on 09/02/2010

Vinnie Delpino bought an airline?

[Steve Haldane]

05:34 PM on 09/02/2010

Hmm... Arabic last name, snooty upper-class British accent, owns two companies before graduating high school. Rich father, maybe? possibly?? irritating how the article doesn't address that.

[Payman Saqib]

06:14 PM on 09/02/2010

I would guess he is a Lebanese or Egyptian Christian. The equivalent of the name Joseph is Yusuf in arabic.

[emilielouize]

02:22 PM on 09/07/2010

I actually attend the same school as Joseph Hayat and have spoken to him many times; he's doesn't have a "snooty" accent - it just seems that way to Americans - and he's certainly not upper-class. I'm not denying the fact his parents have plenty of money to hand over to him, but he's also built his way up. This article doesn't cover his entire background story.

[skyslimit]

05:34 PM on 09/02/2010

I thought his people were more into limousines than airplanes?

[Luca]

05:19 PM on 09/02/2010

Great uplifting story (sorry for the pun). I wish the media would report more stories of people going for their dreams, instead of the current news focus of covering the failures of humanity. Hope.

[scottarino]

05:47 PM on 09/02/2010

Yes, more stories like this. One guy. One big dream. Lots of startup money handed to him. It really is uplifting to see how well one can do with almost unlimited funds at their disposal.

[EveryoneLies]

06:06 PM on 09/02/2010

I bet if i had unlimited start-up money i could own a company to. i go the losing ticket in the genetic lotto.

[Jeremy Diamond]

06:15 PM on 09/02/2010

I couldn't agree more. A real rags to riches story (thick sarcasm).

[LightShadow62]

05:16 PM on 09/02/2010

Hayat owns a non-functional charter company that has no aircraft and nore do they have the licenses to operate aircraft. They basically sell seats on other charter companies.
In other words he is a travel agent.

[MajorKong]

04:42 PM on 09/02/2010

How do you make a small fortune in the airline business?

Start with a large fortune.

[Vinlander]

04:51 PM on 09/02/2010

Quite right. If you count up the bankruptcies, aviation as an industry has been a losing proposition since Orville and Wilbur.

[King Keith]

04:34 PM on 09/02/2010

I've never seen this episode of the wonder years before, thanks! I always knew Winnie was a gold digger.

[PlayTOE]

04:28 PM on 09/02/2010

Started an airline = bought (charters?) a used Cessna and is offering rides.
It's an interesting venture at age 17 so kudos where due, but lets see how successful he is at age 21 and then offer congratulations where deserved.