Nearly all the leading manufacturers of business and private aircraft
will be represented at next year's ILA 2004 aerospace exhibition
in Berlin, Germany. The event will build on the success of its
"General Aviation Avenue" that segregates the bizjets
from the bombers and provides exhibitors a focused "show
within a show."Germany is one of the three biggest markets
for business aviation within Europe (along with the UK and France),
according to Hans-Joachim Gante, managing director of the German
aerospace industry association BDLI, which holds the show in conjunction
with Messe-Berlin.
Germany is also at the center of a market of 300 million, an
expanding EU and NATO, and the developing economies of Eastern
and Central Europe, he said.ILA has also become the largest show
for rotorcraft in Europe. Last year it introduced a dedicated
ILA HeliCenter at the end of the General Aviation Avenue that
incorporated a heliport, an exclusive helicopter static display,
a chalet area reserved specially for helicopter manufacturers
and its own helicopter exhibition hall with a conference room.
Flights to and from the ILA Heliport take place independently
of all other air traffic, and a GA parking area allows visitors
to fly in to the show. Importantly, demonstration flights can
be made throughout the event.
ILA 2004 (May 10-16) is already showing signs of matching the
success it achieved in 2002, according to Rainer Hertrich, president
of BDLI and joint CEO of EADS. The last show attracted a record
1,067 exhibitors from 41 countries, 100,000 registered trade visitors,
and a world-beating display of 340 aircraft. A Suppliers Hall
will be introduced for the first time next year, and the number
of strictly enforced trade-only days is being increased to four
(May 10-13).
The growing business aviation, GA and helicopter exhibits reflect
Germany's leadership in European aerospace: around 50% of the
German aviation industry is dependent on Airbus; some 18,000 people
work in the German Airbus facilities, and a similar number work
for equipment suppliers in the Airbus program. In addition, Germany
is at the center of the Airbus A380 and A400M programs, the proposed
Galileo competitor to GPS satellite navigation, and it will soon
enjoy the benefits of full production of Eurofighter and the Tiger
and NH90 helicopters.
Aviation Week & Space Technology and Aviation Week
Show News are official publications for the show. ILA is exhibiting
here in Booth 3629.
