Story ID: 
LABACE Opens Next Week in São Paulo
By: Richard Pedicini
Caption: 144 exhibitors and 44 static display aircraft on tap for an expected 20,000 attendees
Word Count: 223
LABACE, Latin America’s largest business aviation event, opens on Tuesday in São Paulo with 144 exhibitors and 44 static display aircraft confirmed. According to event organizer Brazilian Association for General Aviation (ABAG), 20,000 visitors are expected to attend the three-day show at Congonhas Airport. Exhibitors are expected from OEMs, FBOs, MROs, and other sectors such as avionics, insurance, catering, fuel, and logistics.
TAM AE, the largest exhibitor for the seventh year running, is bringing seven aircraft from Textron Aviation (Beechcraft and Cessna) and Bell. The company comes to the show upbeat, with the first six months of sales already at 70% of all of last year’s sales. Thus, it expects LABACE to help boost sales for the traditionally stronger second half.
ABAG has reinforced the educational panels, including presentations on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, regional aviation, aeromedical support, training maintenance manpower, and government regulation. An eVTOL panel includes Embraer’s Eve subsidiary.
LABACE is unusual in hosting booths and a static display in the same walkable downtown location in one of the world’s largest cities. With plans by Aena, operator of the now privatized Congonhas Airport, for an enlarged terminal and other improvements to meet growing airline demand, the airport may have less space for business aviation users, including LABACE, in the future.