The 30th edition of AERO Friedrichshafen will not only be remembered as an anniversary edition, but also as a trade fair with a particularly large number of innovations and premieres. With 31,500 visitors from 81 nations, the numbers were significantly higher than for the previous year and the proportion of pilots among visitors increased once again. The AERO Drones, the AERO Gliding Expo and the AERO Career Days also proved their worth.

"We already had high expectations for the anniversary AERO, but the trade fair far exceeded our expectations this year, despite the far from ideal weather conditions," says Stefan Reisinger, managing director of trade fair organiser fairnamic.

Tobias Bretzel, show director AERO, adds: "Over 680 exhibitors from 38 countries and the high number of visitors from all over the world underline the international significance of AERO. The many European and world premieres show that the exhibitors meet a very knowledgeable and international audience. Visitors were able to see over 270 aircraft in the exhibition halls and in the static display, from motor trikes to ultralights, touring and training aircraft and long-range business jets."

In the latest survey, over 53 per cent of AERO visitors said they had a pilot's licence.

Among the premieres at the show were the electrically powered eDA40 aircraft from Diamond Aircraft; the electric RX-1E-A aircraft from Rhyen Aircraft in China; the Integral E from Aura Aero; the Piper M700 Fury single-engine turboprop from Piper Aircraft; and the Phoenix motor glider from JMB Aircraft.

Helicopters have become an integral part of AERO. Visitors were able to view 20 helicopters including, for the first time ever at a trade fair, all current production models from Robinson Helicopter. Leonardo was represented at AERO for the first time and exhibited two helicopters: the AW109 GrandNew and the AW139. The extensive lecture programme as part of the German Helicopter Association's HeliForum was well attended and offered up-to-date information on all aspects of rotorcraft.

The AERO Conferences offered the most extensive lecture and presentation programme in the history of the trade fair. The AERO General Aviation Academy was introduced this year, characterised by high-quality training and further education offers in various areas of aviation. Every day, numerous lectures were offered on topics such as powered flight, soaring, engine handling, instrument flight, meteorology, aviation law and insurance, which met with great interest from the public.

Aviation is changing, and general aviation with all its segments is an incubator for new technologies and innovations that will also influence the commercial aviation of the future. Visitors to AERO were able to get a good overview of the industry's activities towards more sustainability. The AERO Sustainable Aviation Trail highlighted exhibitors who are particularly committed to sustainability by means of a special marking with green balloons that was clearly visible to visitors.

Qualified personnel are sought in all areas of aviation, be it for the cockpit, engineering, dispatch, air traffic control or the manufacturing of systems and entire aircraft. Aviation offers good career prospects and many different career opportunities. With AERO Career Days the show supports the industry in its search for new personnel, which places great value on increased diversity. At present, for example, only around six per cent of all professional pilots worldwide are women. This is set to change, and AERO is an ideal starting point.

Margrit Waltz, the world's most experienced ferry pilot who alone has flown 960 aircraft across the North Atlantic, was at the show and motivated young people to pursue their dreams. She herself learned to fly gliders at the age of 15 and flew an aircraft solo across the Atlantic for the first time at the age of 20. Today, she has over 26,000 flying hours in her logbook.

The next AERO will take place from April 9 - 12, 2025 in Friedrichshafen, Germany.