Knowing ASF
Presentation
Aviation Sans Frontières is a non-profit organisation since 1980 and state-approved of public utility since 1993. For over 30 years, ASF led humanitarian missions to the poor at the heart of developing countries. . ASF offers its materialistic resources, but also the professionalism and aeronautical skills of its members to serve humanitarian causes. It ASF is the link between those who suffer and those who give.
Irrespective of politics, religion, race or nationality, ASF has chosen to focus exclusively on the consequences of disasters and tragedies caused by nature, or by the folly and iniquity of men. ASF provides essential support to many NGOs mainly to help victims but also to break the isolation of forgotten population and thus to give hope to everyone.
Aviation Sans Frontières is involved in 7 main activities:
Aircraft missions:
ASF operates 2 planes which are designed to bring logistic air support to NGO’s. They allow medical teams transporting pharmaceutical, first aid materials, but also emergency medical evacuation to intervene quickly in areas difficult to access.
ASF provides escorts by air for children in need of urgent medical care not available in their own country, so they can benefit from surgery in Europe.
Refugees escorting:
The mission of ASF is to lead to a new life, groups of migrants, which have been confined for a long time to refugee camps, to their new host country.
Parcels of medical supply and humanitarian cargo:
The ASF “medical supplies” service offers the possibility of sending parcels of medicines and humanitarian freight in the world, on board scheduled airlines and during exceptional circumstances on board jumbo jets provided by airlines or by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Milk missions
This “milk missions” operation provides every day either a glass of milk or a milky porridge of millet, sorghum or groundnut to more than thousand sick or underfed African and Malagasy children.
Smiling Wings Days:
ASF provides children with disadvantages the opportunity to discover the world of flying through special aviation discovery days, or 'Smiling Wings Days' as they are affectionately called.
e-Aviation:
ASF through "e-aviation" gives the opportunity to disadvantaged and/or socially isolated young people, to discover new horizons via the world of the aeronautics and the Microsoft " Flight Simulator " tool, in order to encourage vocations to careers in aviation but also to raise awareness of humanitarian action through ASF’ own actions.
Our History
The seeds of Aviation Sans Frontières were sown in 1968 during the Nigerian civil war. A group of brave French pilots and flight engineers, offering their services free, operated a Super Constellation, chartered by the Red Cross and the Order of Malta, on mercy missions from Libreville to Biafra.
The chartered Super Constellation flown by French crews continued to operate further successful mercy missions to Bangladesh in 1972, the Southern Sahara in 1974 and Burkina-Faso in 1979, but it was not until 1980 that three Air France pilots in Paris (André Gréard, Gérald Similowski et Alain Yout), inspired by these earlier events, founded Aviation Sans Frontières.
The object of Aviation Sans Frontières, therefore, was to help fill the gap between supply and demand by supporting humanitarian organisations with an air transport link.
1981 : Launch of chartered jumbo jets in emergency situations to transport humanitarian aid.
1982 : Launch of the escorting of children mission
1985 : Birth of the « medical supplies » mission
1993 : Recognition of ASF being state-approved of public utility
1994 : Birth of « Smiling Wings » days of discovery.
2006 : Birth of the escorting of refugees, following a partnership with OIM
2008 : Creation of e-Aviation activity
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1980
1983
1991
2008
2010
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In 1968 some pilots and mechanics of Air France deeply upset by the genocide in Biafra decided to give their support to a survival operation with an airlift operation using a Super Constellation. Other similar operations were later organised for Bangladesh, the Sahel, Upper Volta (Burkina Faso).
Aviation Sans Frontieres was officially born on the 4th of March 1980 as an association under the 1901 French law. The Associarion was set up by three airline pilots (Andre Gréard, Gérald Similowski and Alain Yout) to operate missions with light aircraft in an orderly manner. These made assistance possible to remote areas by using the services of voluntary pilots and mechanics.
1981: Beginning of shipments by large aircrafts to areas hit by catastrophes. 1982: Start-up of escort for sick children in need of urgent medical treatment.
1985: The "birth" of Medical parcels delivery (medicine and small surgical materiel).
1993: Aviation Sans Frontieres is given official recognition as a French association of public utility.
1994: Setting up of Ailes du Sourire / Smiling wings offering to handicapped or socially marginalised persons a day of aeronautical discovery.
2006: Signature of a partnership agreement with IOM (International Organisation for Migration). Volunteers of the Association are entitled to participate in the escort of refugees who are to be admitted to settle in a new country.
2008: Creation of e-Aviation. Using Flight Simulator software, ASF helps young and underpriviledged persons to discover the various aspects and jobs within aeronautics,
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La voie des airs pour secourir la Terre
Aviation Sans Frontières aims to keep its operational costs at a minimum.
- Children escort by using reduced-tariff tickets granted by airline companies to their active or retired personnel.
- Transport of medical parcels carried free by partner airline companies and their crews.
- Distribution of milk powder donated by the French Federation of Milk Producers.
- Reduced operating costs of the fleet of light aircraft thanks to voluntary teams of pilots and mechanics, as well as with the help of partner companies.
- Operations are conducted by volunteers and only 7 paid staff.
- A balanced budget accompanies this low cost policy as the annual activity reports show.
- The transparency of the accounts is ensured by independent external audits and by controls undertaken annually by a chartered accountant who certifies the financial accounts of the activities of Aviation Sans Fontières. ASF accounts are published in the Government Gazette (Journal Officiel).
The different resources of the Association are :
- The membership fees
- Dedicated donations
- Donations originating from calls to the generosity of the public
- Financial support from several partner companies
- Participation of institutions (United Nations Pooled Fund)
- Funds raised by activities such as concerts, golf tournaments, charity dinners etc.
These resources allow ASF to finance humanitarian activities and to reply to permanent needs such as the maintenance of its aero[planes, insurances, taxes, costs of missions and administrative costs.
2011 activities results
| Accompagnements d’enfants | 1 150 children escorted |
| Missions avions | 5600 passengers (sick people and/or medical teams) and 80 tons of first aid material |
| Messagerie médicale | 8000 parcels carried and 75 tons of survival equipment after natural disasters |
| Mission « Lait » | 15 tons of milk powder and nutritional food |
| Fret Humanitaire | 12 tons |
| Ailes du Sourire | 1 564 handicapped persons have been invited on 21 airfields |
| e-Aviation | 300 youngsters trained on 2 sites (Toussus-le-Noble and Nantes) |
Latest ASF financial results (in euros) (including exceptional charges)
| Year | Resources | Expenses | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 1 866 153 | 1 845 661 | 20 492 |
| 2007 | 2 791 729 | 2 591 634 | 200 095* |
| 2008 | 3 236 340 | 3 152 897 | 83 443 |
| 2009 | 3 104 930 | 3 288 431 | -183 501** |
| 2010 | 5 816 328 | 5 780 858 | 35 470 |
*Following the sale of 2 Cessna 182
** Following an exceptional 9 no-flight months
Lien vers le Link to 2010 Annual report
Organisation
ASF people…
Aviation Sans Frontières means :
- 80 administrative volunteers working at the Headquarters.
- 30 volunteer pilots, active or retired, or on hold for a job.
- 10 mechanics volunteers.
- 40 permanent volunteers bringing to the crews, medicine parcels to be carried.
- 450 volunteers, ready to answer, according to their availability, to a call for escort.
Only 7 salaried people work at Orly headquarters.
Numerous volunteers also operate within the three regional delegations (South-East, Midi-Pyrénées and West).
Association Board:
Honorary President : Primo Biason
- President : Hugues Gendre
- Vice-President (Administration): André Fournerat
- Vice-President (Operations): Jean-Claude Cuisine-Etienne
- General Secretary : Patrick Saumont
- Assistant General Secretary: Henri Hurlin
- Accountant: Claire Ducrocq
Trustees :
- Alain Brodin
- Alain Chauvaud
- Bernard Checcaglini
- Jean-Claude Cuisine-Etienne
- Jacques Devic
- Mireille Diallo
- Claire Ducrocq
- Claude Fouchet
- André Fournerat
- Marie José Fox
- Jean-Claude Gérin
- Hugues Gendre
- Claude Giraud
- Henri Hurlin
- Pierre Lacorne
- Alain Mérour
- Denis Pourteau
- Patrick Saumont
Department leaders:
Aircraft missions : Jean-Claude Cuisine-Etienne
Maintenance : Prosper Benakouangolo
Child escort: Gisèle Mages
IOM Refugees escort: Jean-Claude Gérin
Medical parcels and Milk mission : Claude Giraud
Humanitarian freight : Daniel Loubery
Smiling wings: François Kohler (Province) and Noël Bidault (La Ferté Alais)
E-aviation : Alain Mérour
General delegate: Marie-Astrid Bonnet
Communication : Susanne Maugein
Administration, Insurances : Emmanuel Jahan
Auditor: Marie-José Fox
Accountant : Claire Ducrocq
Members/Donors file: Amor Benarbia and Annie Laprade
Regional delegations:
ASF is represented in three regional delegations:
- ASF West (Nantes) : Regional delegate: Bernard Checcaglini
- ASF Midi-Pyrénées (Toulouse) : Regional delegate: Alain Brodin
- ASF South-East (Aix-en-Provence) : Regional delegate : Jacques Devic
Our Awards
Aviation Sans Frontières humanitarian work is honored bot by professionnels of the aeronautics as tell as charity organisations:
| 1984 |
ICARE price delivered by A.J.P.A.E. (Association des Journalistes Professionnels de l'Air et de l'Espace) |
| 1986 - 1987 |
French Lions Club select ASF as "National Action". In 1991 it is materialized by a Britten-Norman BN2 aircraft |
| 1990 |
ASF is given the “Order of Merit” from the World Aerospace Education Organization |
| 1991 |
FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) Honorary Diploma for our action in the World |
| 1993 |
ASF is recognized as an Organization of Public Interest (Association d'Utilité Publique) |
| 1993 |
«Aviation Week & Space Technology» " Laurel Awards " in operation |
| 1994 |
French Rotary support our action in Rwanda |
| 2000 |
Honorary price "Humanitarian Aviation" category given by Aéro-club de France |
| 2005 |
ASF is agreed as a UN partner at ECOSOC level (Economic and Social Council) and DPI (Department of Public Information) |
| 2006 |
La Poste honors ASF by editing a special ASF 0,54 € stamp |
| 2008 |
South-East regional delegation receives the French National Assembly medal for the humanitarian activity of ASF |
| 2009 |
« Oustsanding Airmanship » delivered by FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) |
| 2010 |
ASF president Jean-Claude Gérin is made Chevalier in the French Order of Merit for his dedication to the humanitarian cause within ASF |
ASF EUROPE
Five European countries joined Aviation Sans Frontières France (Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom) to develop cooperation and solidarity at the international level.
ASF Europe
On December 11, 2004, these six associations adopted a common charter and grouped themselves under the name of Aviation Sans Frontières Europe :
| ASF France E-mail : asfparis[a]asf-fr.org Tél : +33 (0)1 49 75 74 37 |
ASF Belgique Aviation Sans Frontières Belgique Piloten Zonder Grenzen België |
| ASF Pays-Bas (LZG-ASF) Luchtvaart Zonder Grenzen |
ASF Allemagne (LOG) Luftfahrt Ohne Grenzen |
| ASF Espagne (ASF-E) Aviacion Sin Fronteras |
ASF United Kingdom (AWB) Aviation Without Borders" |
All Contacts for Aviation Sans Frontières-FR
