Michael Holzbauer, Director European Affairs ATM at Frequentis, has been elected as the 20th President in EUROCAE’s history. His election was confirmed during the EUROCAE Symposium & General Assembly 2026, held last week in Dublin (Ireland).
Holzbauer joined Frequentis in 2006 and currently leads several strategic ATM programmes, including initiatives within the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (SESAR) programme. Within EUROCAE, he has been a long-standing Council Member since joining in 2015.
He succeeds Guillaume Roger (DGAC), who served as EUROCAE President for the past three years. For several years, Holzbauer has been very active within the Council, most recently serving as Vice-President, and has contributed significantly to the organisation’s strategic direction and growth. With his election, he becomes the first Austrian President in EUROCAE’s history since its foundation in 1963. He will be supported by the team of Officers: Guillaume Roger (DGAC/DTA/STAC) and Thomas Buchanan (Skyguide) as Vice-Presidents, and Benoît Gadefait (Safran) as Treasurer.
Commenting on his appointment, Michael Holzbauer stated: “It is a great honour to be elected President of EUROCAE. I am very grateful for the trust placed in me and would like to sincerely thank Guillaume Roger for his leadership over the past three years. Standardisation plays a crucial role in ensuring safety, interoperability and innovation in aviation, and I look forward to supporting EUROCAE’s continued success”.
Anna von Groote, Director General of EUROCAE, added: “We are very pleased to welcome Michael Holzbauer as President. Together with the Secretariat, our members and our experts, we will continue leading the way in global aviation standardisation, delivering value to our members and supporting the wider industry”.
EUROCAE currently hosts around 50 active Working Groups and has experienced significant growth over the past five years in terms of membership, expert participation, countries represented, and standards published. Since 1963, the organisation has continued to strengthen its position as a leading global developer of aviation standards, supporting safety, interoperability, innovation and sustainability across the sector.
Historical EUROCAE Presidents:
- 1963-1966: Philippe Lizon (L.M.T.)
- 1966-1968: Bernard J. O’Kane (Marconi-Elliott Avionic Systems)
- 1968-1973: Albert Colpaert (MBLE)
- 1973-1976: Marc de Saint Denis (Thomson-CSF)
- 1976-1979: D. G. T. Hayes (Decca-Navigator)
- 1979-1983: Jacques Pagnard (SFENA)
- 1983-1988: Alan Carnell (Racal Avionics)
- 1988-1993: Bernard Dubois (Thomson-TRT Défense)
- 1993-1997: John Charnley (CAA)
- 1997-1999: Jean-Paul Lepeytre (Sextant Avionique)
- 1999-2002: Alain Garcia (Airbus)
- 2002-2005: Terence Knibb (BAE Systems)
- 2005-2007: Paolo Prudente (Selex S.I.)
- 2007-2010: Gil Michielin (Thales)
- 2010-2014: Jean-Paul Platzer (Airbus)
- 2014-2016: Eric Bernard (Dassault Aviation)
- 2016-2020: Francis Schubert (Skyguide)
- 2020-2023: Bruno Ayral (Thales LAS France)
- 2023-2026: Guillaume Roger (DGAC)
- 2026-Present: Michael Holzbauer (Frequentis)