Vertical Lift Groups Extend Trade Show Partnership

The European Helicopter Association (EHA) and Vertical Aviation International (VAI) are extending their joint hosting of the annual European Rotors trade show through 2032, they said yesterday.

The next staging of European Rotors will be from November 30 to December 3 in Lyon, France, before moving to Milan for the 2027 event. According to VAI and EHA, more than 5,400 attendees are expected this year, as well as 260 exhibiting companies from 70 countries.

This week, EHA chairman Fredrik Kämpfe visited VAI’s headquarters in the Washington, D.C. area for discussions with its president and CEO, François Lassale, and the association’s management team. The groups plan to work more closely together to support their combined memberships, which include helicopter operators, manufacturers, and industry professionals in more than 60 countries.

“European Rotors has shown what EHA and VAI can build when we work as true partners,” Lassale said. “Continuing this relationship lets us extend that same spirit of collaboration to the bigger questions facing our industry: safety, sustainability, and the future of vertical flight for members on both sides of the Atlantic.”

The two associations have been working in tandem on international regulatory issues such as the safe integration of beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone operations. Other topics covered include electronic conspicuity and the development of practical right-of-way rules for airspace shared by crewed and uncrewed aircraft.