Story ID: 
Aero Friedrichshafen Postponed until July
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: Originally scheduled in April, the Germany-based general aviation Aero Friedrichshafen moves to the busy summer holiday season.
Word Count: 459
Aero Friedrichshafen organizers have pushed off the Germany-based general aviation show until July 14 to 17, adding it to the growing slate of events that have been either postponed or canceled in the first half due to the pandemic.

"Following the cancellation of the event last year, the uncertainties surrounding the pandemic coupled with the renewed lockdown extension, unfortunately, mean that Aero Friedrichshafen will have to be postponed,” Messe Friedrichshafen CEO Klaus Wellmann said in an announcement released today. “With the aim of creating clear parameters for all our customers and partners, we have now decided at this relatively early stage to hold our upcoming Aero as a summer edition from July 14 to July 17, 2021, in Friedrichshafen.”

Despite initial hope that the Covid-19 situation was improving, it became clear that it would not be possible to hold Aero 2021 as an international show as originally planned for the third week of April, according to the head of Aero Roland Bosch and project manager Tobias Bretzel.

However, a large number of bookings and positive feedback “encouraged us to plan a summer edition of the event for July,” they said in a joint statement. “While we are fully aware that this will be yet another challenge for all of us, we are very confident that we are doing the right thing.”

The postponement provides the opportunity to stage the event during the summer, he added.

Exhibitors who already registered for the event originally scheduled for the third week of April will receive details about the summer edition in the coming days, Aero Friedrichshafen organizers said, but advised attendees and customers to book as soon as possible because the Lake Constance region around Friedrichshafen is a popular holiday destination in July.

General Aviation Manufacturers Association president and CEO Pete Bunce called the annual event a “premier setting” for discussions about the industry in Europe, as well as a showcase of the latest innovations. “GAMA looks forward to our continued participation in this valuable general aviation expo‑also at the upcoming summer edition,” he said.

Past participants, including Tecnam and Garmin, praised the move.

"As safety is our mantra, Tecnam is happy to support Aero Germany in its decision of postponing the event in summertime. We hope that the difficult days will be gone, and this could revamp the general aviation community in a further step forward,” said Walter Da Costa, chief sales officer for Tecnam Aircraft.

Trevor Pegrum, Garmin Aviation’s sales and marketing manager in Europe, added, "We applaud Aero organizers for shifting the dates of this marquee event after careful deliberation regarding global health considerations…We look forward to participating in Aero this summer.”