Barbara Baumgartner is Managing Director of FAI rent- a-jet GmbH, DMCC Branch, based in Dubai, a position she has held for 11 years. She oversees a 13-strong team with a remit to manage charter sales, operations, and medical teams as well as drive business development, planning, budgeting, and ongoing customer service to increase satisfaction and retention. Under her leadership, she has grown the company to become the market leader for air ambulance in the Gulf Region.

Baumgartner’s long-standing experience in the Middle East, combined with her general management and analytical skills plus an iron will to succeed, have proved vital to FAI’s success in the region.

Baumgartner joined FAI in January 2003 as the local representative for the Middle East. She was promoted to the Managing Director role in 2011 when FAI opened its branch office in Dubai. She reports directly to FAI Aviation Group’s Chairman and Founder, Siegfried Axtmann. Baumgartner moved to Dubai in 1997 where she joined CTC Investments as Head of Family Office, Investment and Research Consultant for a Saudi family business conglomerate with a remit to oversee private jet and yacht acquisitions. As part of her role, she conducted due diligence processes and analysis for new private equity and venture capital investment opportunities; conducted continuous research and data analysis for ongoing investment updates and directly oversaw and performed auditing and accounting processes of the family-owned private holding company.

An Austrian native, Baumgartner’s first role in the aviation industry came in 1991 when she joined Tyrolean Airways in Austria.

In 2019, Baumgartner was awarded the “Outstanding Employee Award” by Mumtalakat (Sovereign Wealth Fund of the Kingdom of Bahrain, a shareholder of FAI). She is a member of the Investment Committee of Mindshift Capital and also an Angel Investor & Advisor with WAIN, the Woman Angel Investor Network based in Dubai.

FAI rent-a-jet GmbH is the largest Bombardier fleet operator in Germany and among the world’s largest air ambulance operators (in terms of revenue). Besides VIP Charter and fully dedicated air ambulance service, (FAI Air Ambulance) the company also specializes in aircraft management, long term lease, aircraft refurbishment and special missions for the world’s largest  NGO.