Maxine de Vries was deeply committed to driving positive change in the aviation industry

A short period after conducting this interview, Maxine sadly passed away unexpectedly from meningitis. This tribute shows Maxine's passion and impact on aviation and sustainability. Her legacy continues to inspire. 🌿✈️

If this wasn’t your first job since graduation, what were your other jobs and at which companies?
After graduating in the wake of the financial crisis, finding a job in aviation wasn’t easy. Determined to stay in the industry, Maxine resisted the temptation to pivot to roles like technical project management and instead joined ArkeFly (now TUI) as a cabin attendant, flying on the B737 and B767.

The following season, she became an operations manager at a flight school in Teuge, with the goal of working at Schiphol Group. She eventually joined Schiphol in the baggage control center and later became an apron controller at the air traffic control tower—what she thought would be her dream job. Though it wasn’t what she expected, she earned her Private Pilot License (PPL) alongside her work and joined the Air Combat EU demo team, visiting airshows across Europe.
She then returned to Teuge as an assistant airport manager at the control tower before radically changing the course of her career.

How did you end up in your most recent job?
After moving to Teuge, Maxine lived on an active dairy farm, which made her reconsider how we treat animals, people, and the planet. It heightened her awareness of the need for sustainability. Around the same time, the world’s first electric flight school opened at Teuge Airport. Inspired, she set a goal to become the first woman in the Netherlands to pilot a fully electric aircraft, which she achieved in 2021. She also became one of their ambassadors, serving as a female role model in aviation.
However, she soon felt she wasn’t doing enough, especially considering the enormous transition that aviation needed to go through to become more sustainable. She sometimes felt isolated in her passion for aviation and her love for the planet. That’s when she found like-minded people at Safe Landing, a non-profit organization and global community of aviation workers dedicated to rapidly reducing the climate impact of aviation.

What were your daily operations?
Maxine worked as the team and project lead at Safe Landing. She also founded the Dutch branch, Safe Landing NL, where she built the community, expanded the network, and took on various roles. Additionally, she was in the process of establishing a non-profit organization to accelerate the sustainable aviation transition by informing people about the harmful impacts of flying and inspiring them by demonstrating alternative approaches. The AIRBOS project, which involved planting trees in the world’s first aviation impact forest, was one of her initiatives. The diversity and freedom in her roles were truly rewarding to her.

What did you like most about your job?
Maxine loved that she could channel her moral ambition into her work. Every day, she contributed to addressing the aviation industry’s biggest challenge: its existential climate crisis. She strongly believed that there was no time left—the time to act was now.

Where did you see yourself in five years?
Maxine’s goal was to amplify the alternative narrative about the sustainable future of aviation. She was on a mission to spread this message and accelerate the transition—something she believed was in the best interest of all students and alumni.

What did you like most about your education that helped you in your work?
The broad understanding of different aviation topics from her education helped Maxine in her daily work. While only the engineering track was available when she was a student, she crafted internships focused on operations to suit her interests. She also remembered the valuable lessons from Tilly Wentzel on report writing and the endless ‘beamer sessions’ to finalize projects.

Were you still connected to the Aviation Academy?
Maxine was not directly connected but always considered the Aviation Academy an important part of her life. It was where she met her life partner and the father of her child. She often wondered how many other Aviation Academy babies existed! Her shared passion for aviation was evident—even her son was named Merlin, after the Rolls-Royce aircraft engine.
She had expressed her willingness to stay connected with the academy and contribute in any way she could.

Were you a member of the SVAAA?
Yes! Maxine had the privilege of signing the official founding documents for the association as interim secretary in 2012.