VACAVILLE, Calif., – July 14, 2021 – ICON Aircraft, maker of the revolutionary ICON A5 Light Sport Aircraft, has named Stéphan D’haene as SVP of Operations. In this role, D’haene will oversee all manufacturing operations, final assembly, quality control, and aircraft certification compliance at ICON. He will also focus on ensuring a best-in-class experience at the company’s service facilities.

D’haene brings more than 25 years of aerospace, powersports, and automotive expertise to his role, with in-depth experience in composite manufacturing and aircraft certification programs. He has significant experience across both operations and engineering, having managed aircraft configuration processes, vendor selection, and supply chain negotiations, as well engineering projects such as avionics integrations and aircraft customization programs.

“It’s great to join the incredibly talented team at ICON Aircraft,” said D’haene. “I’m looking forward to helping usher in a new era for the company, with a continued focus on scalability and growth.”

Before joining ICON, D’haene was the Commercial Director and interim CEO at two Light Sport Aircraft companies in Europe – BlackWing in Sweden, and most recently, Porto Aviation Group in Italy. Prior to that, he held positions in the powersports industry, with almost 10 years at BRP in various roles including aftersales, product management, regulatory, marketing, and country management.

D’haene holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering, speaks 5 languages, and is a licensed pilot with more than 1,000 flight hours. Having piloted seaplanes in such notable places as Lake Como in Italy, his passions for both aviation and boating, along with his background, make him the ideal person to take manufacturing at ICON Aircraft to the next level.