Few know as much about the aviation industry as Francis Van Der Velde. He started out as an airport porter more than 30 years ago, then a passenger check-in agent, before managing cargo flights and eventually moving into his chosen field in 1981: fuel supply management. And he was, he says, one of the first in Europe to offer hedging services for airlines.

"I'm an airline man, so I feel for them - they have been hit very hard," says Van Der Velde. "I know what airlines are looking