EBACE 2018 in Geneva was dedicated to the memory of Dassault Group chairman emeritus Serge Dassault, who died at the age of 93 on the eve of the show. Serge Dassault, who served as CEO from 1986 to 2000, was at the forefront of diversifying the family firm’s interests into civil aviation and the Falcon family of corporate jets dating back to the 1960s owes much of its success to his vision.
The European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) returned to the Palexpo site adjacent to Geneva international airport from 29 to 31 May. Europe’s largest corporate aviation event, it boasted a static park of 50 aircraft of all sizes, along with some 400 exhibitors and 13,000 visitors.
Commentators pointed to quiet optimism for the state of the corporate market in Europe, coupled with continuing efforts to innovate and develop. These themes were carried over into the opening session, which featured ‘Jet Man’ Yves Rossy, the inventor of a series of experimental individual jetpacks.
The media lunch on 28 May saw the launch of the ‘Business Aviation Guide to the Use of Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuels’ (SAJF), a major new initiative focused on raising awareness and adoption of available and emerging alternative jet fuel options. Other high profile sessions during the show covered the challenges facing the industry from Brexit, the use of helicopters as a bizav tool and the role of women in the industry.
EBAA chairman Juergen Wiese said: “This was a decidedly upbeat, optimistic EBACE week, which highlighted the passion and enthusiasm at the heart of the business aviation community, the show reflected a reverence for the industry’s history, as well as an embrace of its future.”