The Austrian Business Aviation Association (ABAA) has elected a new board. The statutes of the association have been modernised and a new team has been set up. Antonia Gilbert will serve as president, supported by eight further members of the board: VP and deputy Konstantin Essler, secretary general Thomas Frank, VP of governmental affairs Darko Cvijetinovic, VP of EU affairs Florian Samsinger, VP of member services Jonathan Deutsch, VP of communications Martina Flitsch, VP of marketing and events Irina Samsinger and treasurer Nina Schnelzer.

Gilbert has spent more than 12 years in various positions within business aviation. She started working as a sales representative at Jetalliance in Austria and then continued her career at Global Jet Concept in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2015 she decided to sell aircraft maintenance and FBO services for Jet Aviation. From March 2021 she will be part of the Gulfstream MRO customer sales support team.

In her first statement she says: “I am thankful for the trust given to me and the new team by all ABAA members. I am also grateful for the previous board of directors who dedicated their time to building the association. I am looking forward to working together with our new, extended board team. We have pre-selected multiple projects to improve member benefits and communications to build stronger synergies among our members.”

EBAA is delighted about the recent developments in Austria. Robert Baltus, COO, congratulates ABAA on behalf of the EBAA from Brussels: “Given the many challenges facing business aviation in this period, it is more important than ever for business aviation associations to work together for the benefit of members. ABAA has been a valued partner to the EBAA since its foundation, and we look forward to continuing our close relationship.“

The German Business Aviation Association (GBAA) is also excited about the future collaboration: “We are very pleased that Antonia has been elected as president of the Austrian Business Aviation Association and that we will continue our long-standing cooperation with the ABAA. The manifold topics on the European level have to be solved together. Additionally, we are pleased that Antonia is increasing the diversity among business aviation association leaders. We wish her all the best,” says Andreas Mundsinger, CEO of GBAA.

The Austrian Business Aviation Association (ABAA) is a professional alliance whose mission is to promote the interests and communicate the concerns of business aviation companies (non-scheduled commercial air transportation) in the regulatory and economic environment in Austria, in the European Union as well as at an international level. In particular, the ABAA acts as a point of contact to Austrian authorities, regulatory bodies, government offices and relevant institutions, representing the interests of its members in order to to be heard in legislative and rulemaking processes. The objective of the ABAA is to maintain an environment in which business aviation can grow and secure workable solutions to all issues affecting business aviation.