A record number of 230,000 visitors thronged the new exhibition grounds for this year’s International Air Show (ILA).
The event, dubbed as one of the most important shows in the aviation sector attracted exhibitor numbers said to be higher in the 100-year history of the show.
This year’s ILA show-cased high-tech products from all sectors of the aerospace industry.
A number of visitors, who spoke to AfricaNewsAnalysis at the event commended the joint organizers, the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) and Messe Berlin for the excellent facilities at the newly created exhibition grounds.
Visitors to the show were treated to a total of 36 hours of breath-taking flying displays.
The business agenda at this year’s ILA featured new sections and topics – namely, unmanned aircraft systems as well as the eco-efficient flight.
At the display section of the unmanned aircraft systems, a variety of systems, ranging from small to large aircrafts for use in both civilian and military environments.
A number of innovations also formed part of the business calendar at ILA 2012. These include industrial innovations as well as research projects featuring aircraft seats, cabin concepts of the future and increasingly efficient low-carbon emission engines.
Other innovations included new materials and alternative aviation fuels, underlying the aerospace industries’ ability to develop environmentally friendly aircraft technology that protects the world’s climate.
To underscore the importance of the ILA, The German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the Show together with Mr Waldemar Pawlak, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, whose country was this year’s Partner Country, of the ILA Berlin Air Show 2012.
The energetic CEO of Messe Berlin, Raimund Hosch, stressed the importance of this year’s ILA adding that, the Show was a perfect start to the future marketing of the new exhibition grounds.
“The compact layout of the halls, the short distance between individual sections, the close proximity to the city centre and the venue’s ability to host aviation events all met with a very positive response from exhibitors and visitors from all over the world”.
In his comments, Dietmar Schrick, Chief Executive of the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) observed that the record participation and international make-up of the exhibitors at this year’s fair showed that ILA 2012 with its key topics and new display sections was able to own its own with competing international air shows.”
Well over 50 percent of exhibitors expressed satisfaction with their commercial results. In all, 87 percent were satisfied with their participation at ILA Berlin Air Show 2012 and 86 percent said they would be back at the next Show scheduled for May 2014.
At the ILA Berlin Air Show, trade visitors, the most important segment of visitors at the event, were from the aviation and aerospace sectors. These are civil aviation, security and defence, aerospace, services and research and development.
According to the closing report issues by Messe Berlin, most of the foreign trade visitors came from Europe, particularly from Poland, Austria, the United Kingdom and France. Others were from North America as well as South West and Central Asia.
MIM