By Sylvie Peron – © Birdy Private Jets
“At BIRDY Private Jets, we believe that every journey should be as exquisite and seamless as the destination itself,” says Founder Sherkane de Haenen. “Whether for business or leisure, we redefine the art of flying with unparalleled comfort, privacy, and sophistication.”
With strategic bases in Paris, St Barth, and Zurich, the air charter broker is owned and managed by two high-achieving women. Sherkane de Haenen, based in St Barth, is growing BIRDY in the Caribbean, Brazil, and India, while Zoe Canals is responsible for expansion in Europe, UAE, and South Africa.
Born from a deep passion for aviation and shaped by years of experience, Sherkane de Haenen founded BIRDY to offer tailored charter flights globally. Her famous patronym immediately signals aviation heritage: born in New York and raised in St Barth, she is the granddaughter of Rémy de Haenen, a Caribbean aviation pioneer and the first pilot to land an aircraft in St Barth in February 1945. The small airport there is named after him.
Daughter of renowned French singer-songwriter Charles Dumont, Sherkane studied business in France, worked in the automotive industry, and served as Sales Manager at Paris-Le Bourget Airport. Returning to St Barth in 2021, she launched BIRDY, focusing on private charter flights for any aircraft.
“My mission at BIRDY is to really connect the Caribbean to the world, spreading the word about tourism and airlift growth in the Caribbean, working closely with CARIBAVIA,” she says. Her work during the CARIBAVIA conference in June earned praise: “Sherkane was absolutely fantastic. I couldn’t have put on this event without her and her team,” commented Cdr Bud Slaebbert.
Zoe Canals, Chief Business Officer, comes from a family with a deep legacy in aviation, engineering, and the arts. Her paternal grandfather contributed to Concorde mechanical components, and several family members later worked at Airbus, continuing a tradition of aerospace innovation. Her father, a real estate entrepreneur, instilled strategic thinking and interpersonal skills, while her maternal lineage nurtured artistic sensitivity, luxury, and aesthetics.
From a young age, Zoé gained experience in luxury hospitality, working in family restaurants across France, England, and Morocco. After earning an MBA in Business Administration, she specialized in inflight catering for commercial and private aviation, building a reputation across Europe, Africa, England, Switzerland, Hungary, and France. In 2024, she joined BIRDY Aero, bringing expertise, global networks, and a focus on innovation and long-term strategy.
“We don’t own any aircraft, so we don’t have those costs, and that’s a good thing as we have no limits in the type of aircraft we can charter and plan itineraries anywhere in the world,” says de Haenen.
Her boutique-style company, BIRDY, continues to expand in the United States and Europe, building value, reliability, and trust with a 70% repeat customer rate, while constantly adding new clients.
