Benno Baksteen trained as a commercial pilot at the Rijksluchtvaartschool in Eelde. He then completed his military service as an aviator officer with the Naval Aviation Service. In 1970 he joined KLM as its first officer, first on the DC-9 on the European network and then on the DC-8 worldwide. He became a pilot on the DC-9 in 1982 and was a pilot on the Boeing 747 from 1988 to 2003. He completed his career as a pilot on the Boeing 777, covering the entire range from first-generation jet aircraft to the latest generation of high-tech. has flown airplanes. He retired in September 2006.

From 1974 he was active in various positions within the VNV, the Association of Dutch Airline Pilots, and from May 1989 to May 1997 he was President of the VNV.

In 2000 he was a member of the Rinnooy Kan Committee on safe runway use at Schiphol Airport. In addition, in 2005 he was a member of the Joint Government Committee on Risk Policy set up by Minister of Drom VROM within the context of the Other Government Program and jointly responsible for the final report “East and West of Prince Claus Square: Common sense in high-risk country.”

In 2007 he was appointed by the Minister of Transport, Public Works and Water Management as chairman of the internationally oriented advisory board for civil aviation safety DEGAS: Dutch Expert Group Aviation Safety.

He regularly appears in the media to make aviation matters transparent to a large audience. He has also been providing guest lectures at the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Twente for a long time. These mainly concern safety, quality and business processes.