Our Story

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André Ganshof van der Meersch

Ganshof van der Meersch was born in 1927 in Belgium. He was a passionate pilot, and in 1964 established the first European terminal dedicated to business aviation at Brussels International Airport. In 1972, Ganshof van der Meersch brought the first business jet onto the Belgian civil aviation registry and, in 1978, set a new distance record when he piloted a Cessna 441 Conquest on a 2,557-mile transatlantic delivery flight from Gander, Newfoundland, to Brussels.

The Belgian Entrepreneur

Over the course of his global experiences, Ganshof van der Meersch gathered many ideas for aviation best practices, including the art of business travel. During his time in the US, he discovered that corporations and business leaders were using private aviation to travel to and from destinations quickly and access a greater range of locations directly. He realised that this approach to private aviation also facilitated US private aviation users’ personal interests, such as visiting vineyards, reaching hunting grounds and frequenting art exhibitions. He was so impressed by the service in the US that he decided to recreate it for his European market.

In addition to introducing the concept of modern private aviation to Europe, Ganshof van der Meersch’s vision had an impact on various regulations affecting safety, which have since been implemented worldwide. He was the first to impose a crew of two pilots, with a captain holding an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL).

Furthermore, he insisted that Abelag aircraft be equipped with the highest-quality equipment of the time, delivering a level of luxury and technological advancement to customers that was state-of-the-art.

Ganshof van der Meersch’s success drew the attention of the European business elite who were looking for comfortable, efficient and safe modes of transportation. Due to his close links to the Benelux family, his company soon signed contracts with Royal households, Heads of State, government bodies and other institutions. As a result, the business of Ganshof van der Meersch flourished.

In 1977, Abelag partnered with Unijet and nine other operators to form the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), to defend the interests of the business aviation sector. The organisation rightly regards Ganshof van der Meersch as one of the founding fathers of business aviation in Europe.

Abelag went through many phases of expansion and change but always kept the art of service and the pursuit of innovation at its heart. In 2013, Abelag joined the Luxaviation Group and, with this move, Ganshof van der Meersch’s vision became global.

Ganshof van der Meersch’s approach to life, travel and service excellence is the foundation of how the Luxaviation Group operates today. The understanding of new trends, the need for service excellence and his pioneering spirit are at the core of our company