Judging by the mood at last month’s NBAA Convention in Las Vegas, the good old days are most assuredly back for the business aviation industry. A record number of companies were shoehorned into more than a million square feet of exhibition space at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and there was a seemingly endless line of aircraft at nearby Henderson Executive Airport. Parked in a line on the runway, 87 aircraft of various types and sizes on display stretched more than a mile, making tire kicking advisable only in the most comfortable of shoes.
The tone of the show was also undeniably upbeat, with exhibitors agreeing that customers were generally in a buying mood–in sharp contrast to the mood of the last few years, when everybody seemed to be holding firm to a “Thanks, I’m just looking” mindset. As an example of the enthusiasm apparent at the three-day event, the newly merged Garrett Aviation, Piedmont Hawthorne and Associated Air Center, exhibiting under a single flag for the first time, reported booking more than $50 million in new business from the time the convention center doors swung open on October 12 until the convention ended three days later, according to Shawn Vick, executive vice president for sales and marketing.
