KF CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE

Starting as a small aircraft repair business servicing the BC Interior from a panel van, Barry has spent the last five decades building KF Aerospace (founded as Kelowna Flightcraft) into a leading Air Cargo operator; an Engineering (DAO), Maintenance and Modification provider; a Pilot Training organization for the Royal Canadian Air Force; and an aircraft leasing company.
Over those 50 years, he’s led and shaped a truly Canadian success story—KF Aerospace. KF is a multifaceted and highly integrated aviation company—and Canada’s largest commercial Aircraft Maintenance Organization. Employing nearly 1,100 dedicated staff across the country, Barry has them delivering exceptional quality, reliability, and on-time delivery. KF is respected by airline brands and cargo operators worldwide, competing with the industry giants while maintaining its Canadian roots.
Barry has served on dozens of public and private boards over the years, including Purolator Courier of which he is minority owner. His passion for aviation continues unabated and embodied in the creation of the Centre for Excellence to be built in Kelowna as a legacy to the importance of aerospace in Canada. “It will be a place where our community can rub shoulders, where kids get to see old airplanes up close and where we can get people excited about the history and the future of aviation,” he says.
Lapointe is an honorary lifetime member of ATAC and the AME associations and has been recognized by AIAC, AIABC, BCIT, Rotary, and many other organizations for his contributions and accomplishments in aerospace and the local communities. He has supported AME Community Colleges across Canada including Okanagan College and Mohawk College, and supported the University of British Columbia – Okanagan. Through the KF Charitable Foundation he actively supports causes across Canada including the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Kids’ Cancer Care Foundation at KGH and Girls Fly Too.
Barry was appointed to the Order of British Columbia in 2015 and inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame in 2019.

Tracy is the first female Honorary Life Member of the Air Transportation Association of Canada (ATAC), and an active proponent for increasing the number of women in aviation careers. She has served as a member of the Northern Air Transport Association and the UBCO External Advisory Board, and is currently a member of the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada and Chair of the FortisBC Board of Directors.

