The annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) keeps going from strength to strength. At press time, the EBACE 2004 event (to be held May 25 to 27) had already outstripped last year’s show by logging sales for 100 more booth spaces–715 in total. Organizers expect that, by the time bookings close, 300 separate exhibiting companies will register for this year’s event at Geneva’s Palexpo center, and a record number of aircraft–more than 30– will adorn the static-display area, which is conveniently located at the adjoining Geneva International Airport.

EBACE has stayed at the Swiss city since its inception in 2001, and organizers appear to have no inclination to relocate it–largely due to the almost unrivalled convenience of having a major exhibition center located right next to a well served, but not excessively busy, major international airport. The static-display ramp is connected to the exhibition hall by a specially built bridge allowing visitors and exhibitors to cross between the two in seconds.

All the major business aircraft manufacturers now treat EBACE as a top-priority event and can be expected to pack the static display with their latest offerings. At press time, details of which hardware will be flown into Geneva remained sketchy, but all the following airframers are booked to bring aircraft to the show: Airbus, Boeing Business Jets, Bombardier, Cessna, Dassault, EADS Socata, Embraer, Gulfstream, Piaggio, Pilatus and Raytheon Aircraft.

The Gulfstream display is almost certain to include a completed example of its G550 flagship, since this has just received its type certificate from the new European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The Savannah, Ga.-based airframer is also likely to show one of its super-midsize G200s, having last October signed a deal with Geneva-based executive charter group TAG Aviation to jointly promote the model.

Two newcomers to the EBACE show will be U.S. very light jet hopefuls Eclipse Aviation and Safire Aircraft. Neither the Eclipse 500 nor the Safire Jet is available to appear on the Geneva static line, but both manufacturers clearly want to explore the European market for this ground-breaking class of personal jet transportation.

EBACE is organized through a partnership between the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and NBAA. Brussels-based EBAA now has more than 200 member companies, with a combined business aircraft fleet exceeding 500. However, there is still plenty of room for the organization to grow since the total number of business aircraft registered in European countries is now around 2,300.

The EBACE exhibitor list is now starting to take on the full complexion of that found at each year’s NBAA show in the U.S. In addition to the major airframe, engine and systems manufacturers, the highly successful European show now draws a wide cross section of service providers from the continent, including airports seeking to attract business aviation traffic, FBOs, support firms, software providers and executive charter operators.

Though reduced in overall scale compared with the NBAA show–reflecting the fact that Europe’s business aviation community is still substantially smaller than that of North America–EBACE has drawn increasing volumes of qualified professional visitors. This year, organizers expect more than 6,000 attendees (compared with some 28,000 at last year’s NBAA show).

This fourth EBACE gathering will get under way with a press day on May 24. The keynote speaker at the May 25 opening general session will be EASA executive director Patrick Goudou.

This first conference session is also due to be addressed by Eurocontrol director general Victor Aguado on the subject of ongoing restructuring of Europe’s air traffic management system. It will be jointly moderated by EBAA chairman Brian Humphries and NBAA president Shelley Longmuir, who will be making her first appearance at an EBACE show.

Separate conference sessions will cover the following topics:

• Eurocontrol air traffic management operational issues (including ADS-B, PRnav and GNSS).

• The International Business Aviation Council’s international standards for business aircraft operations, including safety management and the role of the IS-BAO standards in meeting the new JAR-OPS 2 requirements.

• Inconsistencies and problems between European Union and U.S. regulations covering business aviation.

• Single-engine/single-pilot operations for new- generation small jets.

• European operational issues, including user fees and route charges, environmental and airport access trends and this summer’s Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

• Pilot health and safety issues relating to long-range business aircraft operations.
The EBACE program also includes a wide range of maintenance and operations sessions organized by Honeywell, Raytheon, Bombardier, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Cessna, Dassault and Gulfstream. The annual EBACE Awards Reception and Banquet will be held on the evening of May 26 in Geneva’s Hotel President Wilson.

AIN will once again publish three daily editions at the EBACE show. Companies wishing to submit news and information for possible editorial coverage are invited to contact Charles Alcock, editor of AIN’s international show editions, as soon as possible (telephone +44 1252 727758 or e-mail CAlcockAIN@aol.com).
More information about EBACE 2004 can be found at www.ebace. aero.

Booths Now Offered In Farnborough Business Aircraft Park

Booths are being offered to prospective exhibitors in the Farnborough Air Show’s new business aircraft park. Originally, show organizer the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) intended to sell only chalets and outdoor exhibit spaces for the show-within-a-show, which is to be staged over the first three trade days of the main event (to be held July 19 to 21) in Farnborough Airport’s old business enclave.

Some 20 small booths are now being marketed by European Business Air News, which is acting as the SBAC’s sales agent for this part of the show. These two-square-meter booths (21.5 sq ft) will be located in three of the business aircraft park’s chalets and will be priced at £2,500 ($4,500). The full chalets are being offered for £20,000 ($36,000). Exhibitors can also display aircraft in the business aircraft park’s dedicated static area and can operate customer demonstration flights, as well as participate in the main Farnborough show’s daily flying display.

The SBAC has insisted that there is a case for staging a dedicated business aviation event as part of Farnborough International 2004, even though this will be held barely two months after EBACE. According to Amanda Stainer, the group’s head of exhibitions, Farnborough can deliver a much broader visitor base than EBACE, which is largely directed at existing business aviation professionals. Her contention is that Farnborough attracts numerous VVIPs, government, top corporate executives and wealthy individuals who may be new prospective business aviation customers.

For more information about Farnborough International’s business aircraft park, visit the show Web site (www.farnborough.com). For information about the new indoor booths, contact EBAN’s Dawn Marshall at dawn@ebanmagazine.com.

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