Georges Gutelman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 December 1938 |
| Died | 5 November 2019(2019-11-05) (aged 80) |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman Engineer |
Georges Gutelman (6 December 1938 – 5 November 2019) was aBelgian engineer and businessman who specialized in aviation.[1]
Gutelman was born in 1938 toPolish immigrant parents. DuringWorld War II, his mother was murdered by theNazis inAuschwitz, while he hid with his father inBelgium.[2] Gutelman graduated from theUniversity of Liège in 1963 and shortly thereafter started a travel agency and bought his first plane with his childhood friend,Jean Gol.
In 1971, Gutelman founded the charter airlineTrans European Airways. In 1984 and 1985, Gutelman used his business to help withOperation Moses, an operation that helped evacuateEthiopianJews fromSudan intoIsrael during famine and civil war. In 1989, Gutelman was elected as businessman of the year by the Belgian magazineTrends.
Trans European Airways filed for bankruptcy in 1994, but the company was relaunched the following year as European Airlines, and later Eurobelgian Airlines. Eurobelgian Airlines was later bought byRichard Branson and renamedVirgin Express. After this, Gutelman partnered withVictor Hasson to start the airlineCityBird, which went bankrupt after five years, in 2001. He foundedBirdy Airlines in 2002, which ceased operations in 2004 after being bought bySN Brussels Airlines. That same year, Gutelman was arrested for financial fraud, but released a day later.[3]
Gutelman took a minority stake in Alma Telecom in 2006 with Albert Hasson, the brother of Victor Hasson who had died a year earlier. Gutelman had hopes of bringing the mobile phone to the African community.[4]
Georges Gutelman died on 5 November 2019.[5]
