Remembering a Legend

It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that Elie Zelouf passed away on June 5, 2025, at the age of 90.

Elie was one of Jet Aviation’s very first employees in 1967, when he joined to oversee maintenance at our Basel site. From the beginning he was a dedicated and passionate employee, going above and beyond to ensure that customers felt cared for, and that their aircraft was in the best possible hands. In 1976 he took on the role of General Manager of Basel, and it was a regular sight to see him waiting on the tarmac to welcome an aircraft, no matter the time or day, or walking the hangars to check in on the teams.

Over his incredible 58-year career with Jet Aviation, Elie touched almost all parts of our business. He was GM of Basel when we started VIP completions in 1977, and it was he who laid the foundations of business aviation for many of our customers in the Middle East. Well past retirement he was still in the office, and I always looked forward to our chats, where he would grill me on performance and plans.

In 2024, Elie was inducted as a European Living Legend of Aviation. It was a well-deserved accolade, and I was incredibly proud and humbled to be by his side as he accepted it. He truly was a legend. His passion inspired generations, both in our company and beyond, and there are many of us who have grown our careers under his guidance. Elie was fundamental to Jet Aviation’s success over the years, and we would not be the company we are today without him.

For those of you who were lucky enough to know Elie, today will be a very sad day. I stand there grieving with you. We have lost a colleague, a mentor, and a friend. I encourage you to celebrate his life and legacy as we keep his memory alive in all of us at Jet Aviation and beyond.

My thoughts are with his family, and his many friends across the world.

Sincerely,

Jeremie Caillet
President

Elie Zelouf standing outside of aircraft

Condolences guestbook

Elie Zelouf was a legend at Jet Aviation, and well beyond. As we come together to celebrate his many achievements, we invite you to share your favorite memories or condolences.

Robert Schaeberle wrote on June 7, 2025 at 5:46 pm

It is with deep sadness that I read the news of the passing of Ellie Zelouf this morning. Elie was truly a remarkable and talented leader who literally put Jet Aviation on the global map as one of the leading aviation maintenance and completion centers in the world. I was very fortunate to bring one of the very first American Customers to Jet Aviation in 1980 when Jet Aviation completed a new Falcon 50 for the American Express Company. Working with Ellie on this project was truly a rewarding experience, as Ellie was such a perfectionist, and the interior completion of this aircraft was heralded as one of the very best at this time. As a result of the great success of this first completion project with Ellie and his Basel team the Hirschmann family was able to make the decision to invest in operations in the United States. I will forever feel very blessed that I had the privilege to work closely with Ellie on this completion project and many others in the later years as we managed the initial start-up operations of Jet Aviation in America. I remember well seeing the impressive photos of Ellie in his office when in his younger years he was a Swiss Mountaineer, having climbed the Matterhorn and many other challenging peaks throughout Switzerland. What ever task Ellie took on from climbing some of the most challenging Swiss Mountain Peaks to leading the completion projects on some of the largest and most complex VIP aircraft is an accomplishment that all of us can look up to with great admiration. I will always remember Ellie’s infectious smile and how when any aircraft leaving his facility would be met with Ellie taking his personal handkerchief out of his pocket to give the aircraft a final wipe down touch as he waved goodbye to the smiles of the pilots who came to know and appreciate Ellie as a great leader. Ellie, you will be greatly missed, and I will forever have gratitude in my heart for everything you did to successfully lead by example to demonstrate what true Swiss Craftsmanship was really all about. To all of us who knew or worked with Ellie, we are indeed all very privileged! Rest in Peace Ellie, you have left all of us with great admiration for truly a remarkable man! Bob Schaeberle

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