The fourth edition of AERO South Africa, held over three day between 3 and 5 July 2024, was a showcase for the southern African General Aviation sector. Presented by Messe Frankfurt South Africa in partnership with Fairnamic – the organisers of Europe’s largest general aviation show, AERO Friedrichshafen.
AERO South Africa opened its fourth General Aviation exhibition on Wednesday, 3 July, at Wonderboom, with more than 70 exhibitors, all most enthusiastic about this important aviation fixture on the South African aviation calendar. The opening speeches by AERO management, City of Tshwane councillors, and the keynote speaker, Rodger Foster, were all encouraging in that they all looked forward to the 2024 exhibition as well as the future of AERO South Africa at this great venue.
This year the exhibition featured a comprehensive three-day programme with leading industry expert panel discussions, visitor fly-ins, demonstration flights, a Youth Development programme and an introduction to the General Aviation Indaba that attracted over 2900 visitors from 22 countries. The visitors had the opportunity to engage in important general aviation-related talks with key figures and experts in the industry. The diverse schedule of topics was very well received, with highlights including the new General Aviation Indaba, the Women and Drones panel discussion, the Safety-First Aviator session and talks by Airbus and ExecuJet, among others.
The exhibition continues to grow and the 2024 event attracted 71 exhibitors, including 11 international exhibitors. The quality of visitors was most notable attracting 640 pilots which included 233 commercial pilots, 335 recreational pilots and 70 business pilots with 47 visiting aircraft and 140 business matchmaking meetings taking place. This underscores the importance of the AERO South Africa annual exhibition that is firmly established as the annual meeting platform for the Southern African General Aviation sector.
Once again, the AERO South Africa Youth Development Programme proved very successful. Students passionate and eager to venture into the world of General Aviation had the opportunity to hear from multiple speakers in the industry. This year’s programme featured curated topics specifically prepared for the youth in attendance, such as Aircraft Maintenance & Engineering, Drone Training and Pilot Navigation.
Show director Louise Olckers said: “As we conclude the fourth edition of AERO South Africa, I am immensely proud of the strides we have made in showcasing the vitality and innovation within the General Aviation sector. The enthusiasm and support from our exhibitors, visitors and partners have been truly inspiring. Looking ahead, we are committed to building on this momentum and making AERO South Africa even bigger and better, driving growth and fostering connections within our vibrant aviation community. We look forward to welcoming you to the 2025 edition and continuing this exciting journey together.”
Christiaan van der Wath, Deputy Director: Aerospace Sector Support for the City of Tshwane stated: “The City of Tshwane is optimistic about expanding the local general aviation sector as the AERO General Aviation Exhibition successfully concluded on Friday 5 July 2024.”
AERO South Africa looks forward to welcoming the General Aviation sector back next year when the exhibition will be staged between 25 to 27 June 2025 for the fifth edition of AERO South Africa. I wish to thank everyone involved in AERO South Africa and especially show director Louise Olckers, who has been amazing with her love for civil aviation and the results of this growing annual exhibition are to be taken seriously not only to all those businesses involved this year but also to look at the opportunity for future years.
