Luxaviation appoints Sabine von der Linden as Chief Aviation Officer, effective September 11, 2026
Why It MattersElevating a pilot who rose through training, assessment and standards roles signals that operational credibility, not just management experience, increasingly determines who runs safety-critical functions at multi-certificate charter groups.
What happened
Luxaviation Group has appointed Sabine von der Linden as chief aviation officer, effective September 11, 2026. She succeeds Robert Fisch, who moved earlier this year to the newly created role of president of Aviation Services after holding the chief aviation officer position for nearly ten years.
Von der Linden joined Luxaviation five years ago as a captain on the Bombardier Global series. She advanced through pilot training, assessment and standards roles, serving as instructor, examiner and, most recently, group standards officer, and has operated under the flags of Portugal, the UAE, Denmark, San Marino and the UK.
"Sabine's appointment reflects the depth of operational expertise within Luxaviation," said Patrick Hansen, CEO of Luxaviation Group. "Her experience in the cockpit, combined with her extensive understanding of training and standards across the Group's operations, makes her ideally placed for this position." Von der Linden said: "I am proud to take on this new responsibility. My priority is to build on the expertise we have across Luxaviation and continue developing our people through practical, meaningful training. I want our crews to feel supported, confident and prepared for the decisions they face every day."
During Fisch's tenure as chief aviation officer, Luxaviation expanded its Air Operator Certificates, bases and aircraft types. He will continue to oversee aviation services in his new capacity.
Industry impact & what to watch
Promoting from within a training and standards track, rather than hiring externally, is one way multi-AOC groups try to keep safety culture consistent as they add certificates, bases and aircraft types across jurisdictions. Von der Linden's path through instructor, examiner and group standards officer roles, and experience operating under five different flags, points to a group prioritising continuity of standards over a fresh outside perspective at this transition.
The split Luxaviation has created, with Fisch now overseeing aviation services as president while a separate chief aviation officer runs operations, suggests the group sees enough scale across its AOCs to separate strategic oversight from day-to-day operational and training responsibility. How that division plays out in practice, and whether the newly created president role absorbs more of the group's expansion decisions, will depend on statements from Hansen and Fisch as the handover proceeds toward the September 11 effective date.
