Regulations and Government
Ex-EBAA Leader Fernand François Passes Away
Career in aviation spanned five decades, including journalism and industry advocacy
Former EBAA chief executive Fernand François
Former EBAA chief executive and business aviation publisher Fernand François has passed away. © AIN

Fernand François, a former chief executive of the European Business Aviation Association and publisher of BART International magazine, passed away on Friday. After beginning his career as a graphic designer and running an advertising agency, he earned a private pilot’s license in 1970 and then spent the best part of five decades focused on aviation. He was instrumental in founding the EBACE trade show that is jointly run with NBAA.

In 1993, EBAA appointed François as its chief executive and he played a leading role in regenerating the trade association. After 12 years in the post, he handed over the reins to Brian Humphries and focused on running his Business Aviation Real Tool (BART) media group, with operations in both Europe and the U.S.