Grand Aire, Inc.

Grand Aire is a classic example of the American dream being realized. The company started in 1985 like many small businesses do, built on the dreams of an entrepreneur with the intelligence and determination to overcome all obstacles. Founder Tahir Cheema arrived in the United States eleven years earlier to attend the University of Alabama. That day in 1974, he had $40 in his pocket, but his drive to succeed was as big as America itself.

T.C. achieved another goal after his college days where he got his degree in Engineering. While working at Ford as a design engineer, he earned a private pilot’s certificate in 1980 and purchased his first aircraft a few years later. Armed with his pilot’s certificate and his first aircraft, a Piper Arrow, Tahir began flying freight for the ‘Big 3’ automakers. His reputation for hard work grew along with the demand for his services. When Cheema expanded the operation and started the company, customers were promised “30 minutes wheels up”, a previously unheard of guarantee in the charter freight industry.