History

Peter Gatz (right), the current Chairman of the GBAA, bids farewell to Dr Bernd Gans after 44 years at a gala in Berlin in 2014.

We are delighted to be celebrating the 55th anniversary of the German Business Aviation Association e.V. (GBAA) this year. And when an association like the GBAA has existed for 55 years, it means one thing above all: stability and continuity. We have proven that we can successfully master crises and market changes.

When Dr Bernd Gans founded the ‘Business Aviation Working Group’ in 1970 together with other representatives of well-known companies and their flight operations, nobody could have imagined that the association would exist for so long. For many years, the organisation was based at the premises of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), and a few years later it was entered in the register of associations as the German Business Aviation Association e.V.

Dr Gans headed the GBAA for 44 years and was even a founding member of the Montreal-based International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) in 1981, together with the associations from the USA, Canada, the UK and today’s European Business Aviation Association (EBAA). It was not until 2014 that Bernd Gans was retired by Peter Gatz, the current Chairman. And yes, it is true that the GBAA has only had two chairmen in 55 years. This long history stands for seriousness and reliability.

As the voice of the industry, we represent the interests of our members, campaign for better framework conditions and are a proven point of contact for industry, aviation authorities and politicians in order to strengthen the decentralised aviation infrastructure.

Our members are crucial to the functioning and success of our association, as it is their membership fees that finance our activities. The expertise and industry experience of our members promote cooperation and the exchange of best practices, secure the strategy for the coming years and consolidate the visibility of the GBAA among political decision-makers.