Board of Directors.
The Executive Board is formed by the President and the Director General, who manages the office of the BDL. The President and the Director General represent the association in coordination and also together towards politics, economy, media and other social areas.
President
Lars Redeligx has been President of the German Aviation Association (BDL) since July 1, 2026. In January 2023, the experienced manager took over as Chief Executive Officer of Düsseldorf Airport. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic and operational development of one of Germany’s largest commercial airports.
After completing an apprenticeship as an aviation professional, he studied economics at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, graduating with a degree in business administration.
He began his career with the Lufthansa Group, where he held various leadership positions from 2000 to 2012: At Lufthansa Passage Airline, he oversaw pricing and distribution and had previously been responsible for sales strategy and management. From 2013 to 2016, Redeligx served as Chief Commercial Officer of Brussels Airlines, and subsequently as Spokesperson for the Executive Board of LSG Europe until 2019. Before joining Düsseldorf Airport, he served as Chief Commercial Officer at the Lineas Group – a leading private rail logistics company in Europe – from 2020 to 2022.
His leadership philosophy is characterized by a clear focus on customer satisfaction, operational excellence, innovation, and sustainability. In this role, he draws on his many years of experience in the airline industry, airport management, and logistics. Under his leadership, Düsseldorf Airport improved its financial performance as well as its service quality and operational performance, which have since received multiple awards.
In addition to his operational responsibilities, Redeligx is actively involved in various industries and business organizations.
Lars Redeligx was born in Glückstadt in 1970, he is married and has two children.
"A strong, competitive aviation sector is not an optional extra for Germany as an export-driven economy and a globally connected society; it is a necessity and a decisive driver of success. But this is about more than passengers and freight. It is about connections that generate prosperity, bring cultures closer together and keep lines of communication open. Germany’s aviation industry plays its part: investing in modern fleets and future-proof infrastructure, driving sustainable aviation forward, and acting as a reliable partner to businesses and policymakers alike. I am firmly convinced that together we can systematically dismantle structural disadvantages, if we once again embrace aviation for what it truly is: an opportunity for participation and success in an interconnected world."Lars Redeligx
Director General
Dr. Joachim Lang has been the Director General of the German Aviation Association (BDL) since July 2024. Previously, he was the Managing Partner of Strategic Minds Company.
From 2017 to 2022, he was the Director General of the largest European industry association, BDI. Before that, he led the corporate representation of the DAX company EON in Berlin since 2007.
Prior to that, he held various senior positions in politics and administration, including the coordination of European policy in the Federal Chancellery, federal-state and European coordination in the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, as well as staff positions in the Secretariat of the Federal Council and in the Federal Ministry of Defense.
Joachim Lang studied law and was educated in Tübingen, Bonn, Prague and Washington D.C. Following his doctorate in law on stock companies, he also obtained a master’s degree in European Studies.
Lang is the author of numerous publications on economic and legal policy topics.
You will find a selection of photos available for download here.
