European business aviation convention EBACE scheduled for June in Geneva, Switzerland has been cancelled by the organizer.
The trade group representing the European business aviation industry has canceled its annual convention.
The European Business Aviation Association announced the cancellation earlier today.
EBACE, as it is known, was scheduled for early June.
It had gone from a key industry conference in recent years to an uncertain future even before today’s cancellation.
The conference has been held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.
Attendees complained about the high costs associated with attending.
There were also complaints that the business-to-business-focused event needed to bring more consumers.
Protestors from anti-wealth and anti-aviation groups disrupted the event in 2023.
Several Gulfstream jets sustained damage.
There was also consideration of moving the event before confirming this year’s EBACE in the Swiss city again.
EBAA said in a statement:
‘Despite our efforts, it has become clear that the EBACE26 format did not generate the momentum needed to deliver a viable edition of the event. As a result, EBAA has taken the responsible and transparent decision to cancel EBACE26, which had been scheduled to take place in Geneva from 2 to 4 June 2026. This will also allow the Association to focus its efforts and resources on its core mission and to step up its work on shaping the initiatives, platforms and forms of engagement that best meet the needs of its members and those of Europe’s business aviation community.’
AERO Friedrichshafen, held later this month, was seeking to provide an alternative.
It is positioning business aviation and private jets alongside general aviation.
Individual companies have been increasing their consumer exposure through events such as the Monaco Yacht Show and Formula 1 races.
Alisdair Whyte, the editor of Corporate Jet Investor, commented, “EBACE is just a small part of EBAA.”
He noted, “The association was founded 48 years ago to promote the growth in business aviation, not to run events,” adding, “It has been extremely successful at this, and EBAA has 700+ members.”
Whyte pointed out, “A lot of its important work takes place in private in meetings with lawmakers in Brussels and other capitals.”
EBAA Chairman Juergen Wiese said, “EBAA was founded to serve Europe’s business aviation community, and that purpose remains unchanged.”
He added, “Our mission is to represent this industry on behalf of our members, advocate for them, and help create the conditions in which they can continue to sustainably operate their businesses across Europe.”
Weise said, “Together with our members, we will continue to shape the right platforms and approaches to support the industry in the years ahead.”
Find the perfect solution for your private aviation needs
Save Time. Buy Confidently.
Receive an apples-to-apples comparison of programs that meet your needs from more than 500 jet card and fractional options covering 65 points of differentiation and over 40,000 data points.
