Next year, Aerofair will occupy three times as much space than it occupied at the previous event. This has been made possible by sponsorship from Meridian Aviation, the UK Piper aircraft distributor.

The space at North Weald Airfield in Essex will be used for aviation and product sales, as well as allowing visitors to land and park on hard standing.

Jeff Carr, managing director of Meridian, says that he found their presence at Aerofair 2002 contributed significantly to the £8 million of new aircraft sales that they achieved in the first six months of trading.

He believes that the event is vital for general aviation in the UK: “General aviation needs its equivalent of the boat show or the motor show to expand and to cultivate a positive and exciting image of flying in the UK.”

The majority of 2002’s exhibitors have indicated that they will be present in 2003, some stating that for them, Aerofair is now their most important marketing event in Europe.