Mr Kean (61) told the Otago Daily Times yesterday he and Mrs Kean had been running the company since July 1 but formally took over Mainland Air last Thursday.
Both had worked with Mainland for six years.
''I walked out one day as an employee and returned the next morning as a boss.''
The Keans bought the business from the Paterson family, who had owned it for about three years.
The couple were considering how to expand their presence in the tourism sector and were looking at flights to Doubtful and Milford Sounds, Queenstown and Mt Cook.
''It would be great for visitors. It's only 35 minutes to go to Queenstown. By the time you go from Dunedin to the turnoff to Milton by car, you are landing in Queenstown.''
Mr Kean had been trying to get into the cruise-ship market but admitted it was difficult.
Already, the company offered a 45-minute flight over Macraes, Lawrence, along the coast and back to Dunedin.
Mainland had eight staff, including two A-Cap pilots - the highest grade for training pilots - for Mainland Aviation College, he said.
The pilots, Hamish Mosely and John Penno, were well regarded in the industry.
Before joining Mainland, Mr Kean was a pilot based in Invercargill and flying to Milford Sound, and before that he spent 20 years with Stewart Island Flights.
Mainland operates eight aircraft, four for air charters and four for air training.
Looking to the future, he and his wife are considering buying a turbine aircraft.
Regular flights operate from their base at Dunedin International Airport to Invercargill and Alexandra.
