50th Anniversary Jubilee Gala of the Agroaviation Services Business Unit

The 50th Anniversary Jubilee Gala of the Agroaviation Services Business Unit was held at the Atena Hotel in Mielec on November 15, 2022. The host of the Gala was Mielec Aviation Company Ltd, owned by Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation, which continues the tradition of ASBU. The event gathered the most important representatives of the aviation industry, the authorities of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship and the local government of Mielec, as well as current and retired employees.

170 guests celebrated the round jubilee of the Agroaviation Services Business Unit. The ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate twice – not only the rich history but also the new future. The jubilee coincided with the change of ownership of the Mielec company.

The Agroaviation Services Business Unit, operating recently under the name of the Aviation Services Department (Wydział Usług Lotniczych), has been acquired by Mielec Aviation Company Ltd –  a company owned by Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation. The Institute submitted a satisfactory offer to the current owner, Airbus Poland. The contract was sealed in Warsaw on October 31, 2022.

– The project of acquiring an industrial partner from the aviation industry was carried out for almost two years on the initiative of the Institute, with the participation of teams and transaction advisors on both sides. The fact that we can celebrate this double celebration together with our partners from Airbus is the best proof of the atmosphere and quality of the negotiations. The Institute, and with it the State Treasury, regains a stable entity that provides highly specialized aviation services, along with a fleet of 40 aircraft prepared to carry out agricultural aviation and fire-fighting works – says Roman Ignasiak, president of Mielec Aviation Company Ltd.

The official inauguration of Mielec Aviation Company

Farewell from Airbus Poland and welcome by the new owners began with meeting the MAC crew at company’s headquarters in Mielec. The meeting was attended by President of Airbus Poland – Johannes von Thadden, Director of Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation – Paweł Stężycki, President of Mielec Aviation Company Ltd – Roman Ignasiak and Operations Director of MAC and long-term director of the Aviation Services Department – Grzegorz Walczak.

The official celebrations, with the participation of invited guests, took place in the evening Gala.

The ceremony was attended by distinguished guests. Speeches were delivered by senator of the Republic of Poland – Józef Zając, marshal of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship – Władysław Ortyl, governor of Mielec County – Stanisław Lonczak and head of the Department of Forest Protection of the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Piła – Sławomir Majewski. The history of air services in Mielec was presented by Grzegorz Walczak.

An important part of the Gala was the presentation of departmental awards “Meritorious for the Transport of the Republic of Poland” by the president of the Civil Aviation Authority, Piotr Samson to 10 employees of ASBU. All these experienced pilots have in common the longest, over 40 years’ experience of work and thousands hours of flight. They are all graduates of the only former pilot school in Europe, Agrolot in Kętrzyn and the Agricultural and Technical University in Olsztyn, as well as they were participants in numerous agricultural, transport and firefighting air campaigns in the country and abroad.

A separate distinction, congratulatory letters for retired and current employees, was presented by the governor of the Mielec County, Stanisław Lonczak.

The official part ended with slicing the cake by the hosts. The cake was decorated with the most recognizable construction of Polish agricultural aviation – the Dromader aircraft.

50 years of the agricultural aviation in Poland

During 50 years, the Agroaviation Services Business Unit operated in over 20 countries around the world, including Portugal, Spain, Greece, Chile, Sudan and Iran. The staff is experienced pilots and mechanics.

Initially, from 1972, the unit operated within the structures of Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze “Warszawa Okęcie”, then – from 2001 – within the structures of the European consortium EADS (later: Airbus Poland). The current owner, since 2022, is Mielec Aviation Company Ltd owned by Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation.

The company offers agricultural aviation services, such as fighting fires and protecting crops and forests. In the past, it was involved in humanitarian missions under the auspices of the United Nations.

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The Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation is one of the most modern research facilities in Europe, with traditions dating back to 1926. The Institute closely cooperates with global tycoons of the aviation industry, such as: GE, Airbus, Pratt & Whitney, and institutions from the space industry, including the European Space Agency. Strategic research areas of the Institute are aviation, space and unmanned technologies. It also provides research and services for domestic and foreign industries in the field of materials, composite, additive, remote sensing, energy and oil&gas technologies.

The Łukasiewicz Research Network provides attractive, complete and competitive technological solutions. It offers a unique system of “challenging” to business, thanks to which a group of 4,500 scientists in no more than 15 working days accepts the business challenge and proposes the entrepreneur to develop an effective implementation solution. At the same time, it involves the highest competences of scientists in Poland and a scientific apparatus unique in Poland. What is most important – the entrepreneur does not bear any costs related to the development of an idea for research work. Łukasiewicz meets the expectations of business in a convenient way. The entrepreneur may decide to contact us not only through the form at https://lukasiewicz.gov.pl/biznes/ but also in more than 50 locations: the Łukasiewicz Institutes and their branches throughout Poland. They will receive the same – high quality – product or service everywhere. The Łukasiewicz potential is focused around such research areas as: health, intelligent mobility, digital transformation and sustainable economy and energy.