Berlin Is Gateway Into European Business Aviation

It will be May 2004 before there is another Berlin International Aerospace Exhibition & Conference-ILA for short-but the show organizers have come to Booth 773 at NBAA Orlando to stress the opportunities for the business aviation community to set up their stalls in the heart of Europe.

Rolf Dorpinghaus, senior aerospace advisor to ILA, told Show News that there are three levels at which the event will benefit exhibitors. It offers direct access to the German-speaking world (also including Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and some parts of Italy); it is well placed for contacts with the European community; and it offers access to the emerging economies of Eastern Europe.

The German connection is doubly valuable, says Dorpinghaus, because the export-orientated German industry has Europe's highest number of business aircraft, necessary to assist its worldwide trading aspirations.

This year's ILA was put together under the cloud of 9/11, yet a successful show with 1,067 exhibitors (up 14%), 41 participating countries (up 8%) and 100,000 trade visitors (up 19%) sent a clear signal that aerospace is making a turnaround.

Visitors to the next event will see the start of construction work that will give ILA an expanded and modernized show area at its current venue at Schonefeld, just south of Berlin's ring road. This will include extra facilities for helicopter and business aviation manufacturers and suppliers.

By Paul Jackson