Ok... Not A Big Surprise But Certainly An Unpleasant One

Another major aviation event has had to give way to the damage done by the COVID pandemic. Aero Friedrichshafen has made the decision to delay its next show until July... but only a little more than week before Oshkosh 2021.

The 2021 summer edition of AERO Friedrichshafen will run from July 14 to July 17.

AirVenture 2021 begins on July 25th. Ouch.

AERO's announcements noted that, "Following the cancellation of the event last year, the uncertainties surrounding the pandemic coupled with the renewed lockdown extension unfortunately mean that AERO Friedrichshafen will have to be postponed. With the aim of creating clear parameters for all our customers and partners, we have now decided at this relatively early stage to hold our upcoming AERO as a summer edition from July 14 to July 17, 2021, in Friedrichshafen,” stated Messe Friedrichshafen CEO Klaus Wellmann.

Head of AERO Roland Bosch and project manager Tobias Bretzel explained the decision: "A few weeks ago we started off the new year with confidence and hope. Metaphorically speaking, it was clear flying for the first few days, but we now find ourselves faced, once again, with a thick fog on the landing runway. In fact, we are already able to forecast that it will not be possible to hold AERO 2021 as an international trade show in April as planned. However, the large overall number of bookings and the very positive feedback that we have received about AERO have encouraged us to plan a summer edition of the event for July. While we are fully aware that this will be yet another challenge for all of us, we are very confident that we are doing the right thing. Indeed, we view this revamp as a great opportunity to stage this all-important gathering of the entire GA family in pleasant summer conditions.”

Those exhibitors who already registered for the AERO Friedrichshafen event that was to be held in April will receive detailed information about the new summer edition in the next few days.

Potential conflicts with the biggest aviation event in the world, were not addressed and an EAA spokesperson admitted that they received no warning or consultation on AERO's decision from anyone affiliated with the event. Exhibitors with interests on both sides of the pond are going to have to navigate an organizational nightmare to do both events, should they so choose, though there is little doubt that Oshkosh remains the primary draw this summer... IF pandemic issues are brought under control... More info when available.

FMI: www.aero-expo.com, www.facebook.com/aero.fn