Hamburg, Germany, October 1, 2026 – Dr Eckart Frankenberger takes over as CEO of ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research. He succeeds Roland Gerhards, who is leaving the company at his own request. To ensure a structured transfer of knowledge, Frankenberger and his predecessor will lead the organization jointly throughout October.
With Frankenberger, ZAL gains a highly experienced engineer who has spent some 25 years of his aviation career at Airbus. In engineering, he was initially responsible for R&T program management at Airbus Germany and later for the engineering methods for the A350 development. As head of the “New Factory” project at the Hamburg plant, he then introduced modern flow production in the fuselage manufacturing. He later served as Vice President and member of the Hamburg plant management, heading fuselage production for the A380 and the A350. As Chief Industrial Architect for Airbus Commercial, he developed co-architecture and manufacturing processes for the next generation of aircraft and helped establish new, increasingly automated production lines for the A320 Family. Most recently, as Overall Aircraft Lead Industrial Architect, he led the preparation of key industrial technologies for the aircraft manufacturing of the future, work that also makes use of laboratories and hangar space at ZAL. His work is documented in numerous publications and patents.
Dr Christopher Schwieger Secretary of State at the Hamburg Ministry of Economy, Labour and Innovation and Chairman of the Supervisory Board: “Dr Frankenberger has first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing the aviation industry. I am convinced, he will contribute towards research and how it will strengthen Hamburg’s competitiveness as a location for the next generation of aircraft. His knowledge of industrial processes and innovation will further enhance ZAL’s position as a neutral platform and economic driver”.
Dr Eckart Frankenberger, CEO of ZAL GmbH: “I am delighted to lead ZAL. Aviation research needs places like ZAL that are neutral, collaborative, and open to all players in the industry. My vision is to strengthen this role as a platform while ensuring that the research energy generated here actually translates into concrete process and product improvements for our partners. This is how we secure Hamburg’s competitiveness.”
