What is the FAI?
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, founded in Paris in 1905, is the world governing body for air sports — Lausanne-based, with more than 100 national aero clubs — and the sole authority that ratifies aeronautical and astronautical world records.[1] [2]
Why does it matter?
Two reasons rarely combined in one body: it runs the world championships of a dozen aerial disciplines, and it is the record-keeper of aviation itself — the organization whose certificates sit behind claims from altitude records to spaceflight firsts.[2] [4]
References
- FAI — about. Accessed August 2026.
- FAI — official site. Accessed August 2026.
- FAI — records database. Accessed August 2026.