Director Bio




Director Bio

I am Jean-Marc Youkhana, owner of Uplifting aviation. I started my journey in the aviation industry in 1991 with a 6 year apprenticeship working with Air Provence international and Aerotech, based at Marseille Provence airport.
 
Air Provence international is one of the largest French air taxi and business jet operators and Aerotech is part 145 of the approved maintenance service centre, also based in Marseille Provence airport.

Within my apprenticeship, I attended the school in Annecy (IPAC) where I graduated with a business degree in sales engineering in 1997. Back then I was the youngest sales engineer in France to market airframes, engines, equipment and maintenance and overall services.

In 1997, I made the decision to move to the UK to learn English so as to further my career and create opportunities. I began working with Pratt and Whitney Canada, CSG GMBH, located in Farnborough, working as their customer support engineer looking after the French market. In 1998, I was offered an opportunity to join the Rolls Royce model 250 programme with H&S aviation in Portsmouth. I oversaw the business development and account management of all French speaking aircrafts and operators around the world.

As a primarily self-taught professional, my key drive has always been to put into practice the extensive knowledge I have gained from industry experts through a wide spectrum of activities such as maintenance and engineering, manufacturing, operations, export regulations, legalities, fiscal, investment, leasing, and many more.

Pursuing my long-held passion for selling helicopters and other aircraft, I launched Uplifting Aviation in 2002.

For the past 18 years, the company has grown steadily and has allowed me to develop an important network of the most respected, highly experienced and most reliable aviation specialists across the industry.

Since its inception Uplifting Aviation has managed just under $1.5 billion of transactions covering:

  • Helicopter brokerage and trading activities
  • Commercial aircraft deals
  • Business jets sales and acquisitions
  • Aircraft, helicopters, engines and components MRO services and trading
  • Aviation business sales and acquisition
  • Consulting services

Having invested the best part of the last 30 years and 60,000 hours in the Aviation industry, I am confident I am now in a position to undertake any missions that encompasses our field of knowledge and expertise.