Before adopting the name ENAC, the school was called a "service of education and internships" ("service des écoles et des stages)" and was provided by the General secretariat for civil and commercial aviation. That contrasted with that the longstanding tradition of French civil service personnel being trained in higher education institutions called "Grande écoles." Jules Moch, the Minister of Works, Transport and Tourism at the time, proposed the name: ""École nationale de l'aviation marchande"", a name which was ultimately not chosen.