In December, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (the governing body for world air sports) announced that it appointed Markus Haggeney as acting secretary general following the departure of Secretary General Susanne Schödel. Haggeney is moving into the position after serving as sports and events director for the organization. An enthusiastic balloon and paragliding pilot, he also worked for many years in companies active in the field of aviation, and successfully participated in the organization of several FAI-sanctioned ballooning events, in particular the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett.

FAI President Bob Henderson said, “Susanne Schödel has led the work of the FAI head office for almost six years and done her utmost to deliver outcomes that benefit the whole organization. I wish her the very best for the future. I am grateful to Markus Haggeney for agreeing to take on this new challenge of acting secretary general, and I look forward to working with him in his new position. He has been working for FAI for almost six years and is up to speed with all the ongoing projects and activities of the federation.”