Online Editor

Chad Trautvetter

Europe will once again be the focal point for the business aviation community when EBACE 2019 opens on May 21 in Geneva, Switzerland. With some 50 aircraft on static display and more than 400 exhibitors, this year's event is on par with previous years. The three-day show, which is jointly organized by NBAA and EBAA, will bring together all the latest business aircraft and aviation equipment manufacturers, industry and government leaders, operators, and services suppliers, among others.

 


Last year’s EBACE marked the launch of business aviation’s sustainable alternative jet fuels (SAJF) initiative, and this year’s show will ramp up the focus on SAFJs as part of the industry’s long-standing commitment to reduce its emissions footprint. In fact, EBACE 2019 will include SAJF-powered flights from multiple European airports, a dedicated SAJF day at TAG London Farnborough Airport, discussion about SAJF at the media luncheon on May 20, and a panel discussion on these jet biofuels at the Innovation Zone on opening day.

 


The opening-day kickoff session will be hosted by EBAA secretary general Athar Husain Khan and NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen at 9 a.m. on May 20. That session will feature keynote speaker Florian Reuter, the founder and CEO of Volocopter, one of the companies leading the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) transportation revolution. Geneva Airport CEO Andre Schneider will also be on hand to highlight the importance of business aviation to the city.

 


Meanwhile, EBAA will use the show to further promote its Expanding Horizons initiative, which aims to spread recognition of business aviation as an “accessible, indispensable, and desirable” transportation option throughout Europe. Thus, EBACE attendees will see signage and marketing featuring individuals working throughout Europe's business aviation community. This will include portraits of the 10 ambassadors who represented the European business aviation industry in October at the One Young World Summit at The Hague, Netherlands.

 


There will also be dozens of informational and safety-related sessions held during the show. The final day is themed “Careers in Business Aviation Day” and will thus be dedicated to students, who will get an introduction to career paths they could pursue in the business aviation industry.