An uneasy pall has settled over the aviation industry. Clouds of volcanic ash form impenetrable barriers, forcing constantly altered flight paths, while first-quarter aircraft deliveries dropped to a worrisome low. Yet in the midst of the gloom, the annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, celebrating its 10th year, was a shot in the arm for business aviation, signaling the fundamental strength of an industry that takes each setback in stride and continues to forge ahead with innovative products and programs and stands up to the bureaucrats who would just as soon see business aviation go away. Clearly, despite signs of abundant caution among aviation enterprises, at Ebace 2010 there was ample evidence that the worst appears to be in the rearview mirror and opportunity and growth, albeit slow, have returned.
Ebace 2010 brought a sellout group of 436 exhibitors, down slightly from last year’s 441, and a near-record 11,174 attendees, up from last year’s 10,917. Sixty-five aircraft filled the static display, but much of the foot traffic there was concentrated on the last day of the show when the rainy weather finally cleared.
