AERO South Africa welcomes aircraft and avionics OEMs
AERO South Africa is Africa’s largest general aviation (GA) trade show, covering the full spectrum of services and products for the GA industry. The inaugural show in 2019 was a great success, welcoming more than 4,200 visitors and over 100 exhibiting companies. AirMed&Rescue spoke to the organisers about this year’s event
The event will be held from 7-9 July 2022 at Wonderboom National Airport will treat visitors to the latest developments across the GA industry.
With AERO South Africa’s successful first show in 2019, tell us about who you are expecting to attend this year.
AERO South Africa is the largest General Aviation (GA) event in Southern Africa. With much of the show staged outdoors, it gives us the advantage to have more visitors while also conforming to the governmental Covid safety rules. Although the number of GA companies in South Africa is relatively small, it is a growing market. Both local and international companies are getting in touch to get information and confirm attendance on exhibiting at the event. It is clear that the word is definitely out that AERO South Africa will be going ahead this year, and we cannot be happier about this as 2019 was our launch event, and we’re hosting the second edition this year! We’re also aligning our categories and fillers with our sister show, Aero Friedrichshafen in Germany, in order to move in a direction to give South African visitors a taste of the state of the international GA industry, and the new technologies and trends within this market.
We’ll be hosting manufacturers of aircraft like Bell Helicopters and Airbus South Africa, and discussing exhibition opportunities with some other well-known OEMs, too; equipment and systems – avionics firms like Garmin and Bose, for example, as well as making provision for other categories covering maintenance, repair, overhaul, pilot supplies, airport equipment and services, flying clubs, aircraft brokers, charter carriers, aero clubs, and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA). There will also be distributors and sellers of second-hand helicopters at the show, which in 2019 was the first ever ‘Park & Sell’ initiative of aircraft in Africa.
What can exhibitors and visitors expect to get out of attending AERO South Africa this year?
AERO South Africa is a B2B show, not an air show, as the latter attracts the wrong kind of audience, i.e. consumers. We want our exhibitors as well as visitors to be able to connect, form new business relationships and foster existing relationships. Anyone who’s interested in GA can and surely should attend – business owners, decision makers and executives, the farming and agricultural communities, which form a big market in South Africa, including private estate owners, aviation estate owners and game farms – from which there’s a lot of interest within the charter market. South Africa’s relationship with aviation is still very much as a workhorse, where GA is used primarily for work purposes, bridging the great distances in Africa. The GA sector is one of the industries with a massive potential for growth and we are focusing on promoting Tshwane as the GA hub in South Africa in the long run. On this note, our host city and partner for the event is the city of Tshwane as Wonderboom National Airport is managed and run by the city.
South Africa also has NAMPO – the largest show of agricultural machinery and livestock in southern Africa. The event is planned for May, and AERO South Africa hosts a ‘meet and greet’ tent with other GA companies, to welcome pilots from the agricultural sector that fly in to this event. The objective here is to promote the very unique feature of fly-ins to AERO South Africa. Together with this, we partner with the Aeroclub of South Africa to assist and market the fly-in, as well as many of our local flight clubs. Landing fees are free of charge to those who register online prior to the event.
Face-to-face always wins over virtual events, so what are the benefits of being at AERO South Africa again in person?
It’s going to be odd if a company is not at AERO. It’s important for them to show they’re stronger, tougher and got through Covid – ‘we’re still here and stronger than before’! If you’re not at the event, your competitor will have the upper hand. We expect that visitors will conduct a lot of business and it will be the first time that the GA market has got together again in one space since 2019.
Covid took away the human interaction factor, which is important as we are social beings and enjoy interaction, face to face, conducting better business and signing deals on the spot. At AERO South Africa, you can meet and network, there’s a conference workshop area, and of course at the exhibition arena there’s the chance to showcase your products. Aircraft displays always catch the eye and seeing the big machines in real life makes AERO South Africa a highly experiential and interactive event
We have five different arenas – a park-and-sell area where you can come and look at pre-owned aircraft and buy direct from the owner. As already mentioned, it was a first in the African market in 2019, and did get a lot of support from aircraft owners wanting to upgrade to another aircraft. Demo flights from companies displaying new aircraft can get a ‘touch and feel’ experience as exhibitors will be able to bring their aircraft and take prospective buyers on a ‘test flight’, allowing an opportunity for serious buyers to go for a flight and ‘try before you buy’, which might just seal that deal quicker. The event has an indoor area in a marquee, where businesses like training schools and software companies can exhibit their products and services.
As mentioned, the event offers a fly-in experience for visitors wanting to rather fly than drive to the event. This makes AERO more accessible to visitors in areas further away from the venue. On Saturday 9 July, it’s now a tradition at AERO South Africa to host a fly-in for recreational aviators and we’re aiming at breaking the record of 149 fly-ins in 2019 – our working relationship with the Aero Club of South Africa will assist us in achieving this goal.
What exhibitors and forums will be at the show specifically for the air rescue/air medical audience?
AERO South Africa hosts a webinar series with Safety First Aviator. We will also have this feature at the event, with a stand for the Safety First Aviator team to be accessible to answer questions on the ground. The SACAA had a stand at AERO South Africa in 2019, and this should be the case in 2022. Further to this, we will host a session with the Safety First Aviator team on the Saturday of the event, when we have all the recreational fliers attending the event.
How is the air rescue/air medical market developing in South Africa?
The rescue/private market is growing and it’s an area that’s likely to expand in time. SAR is operated through the government. Similarly, HEMS are privately operated and contracted by the state. There is a lot of potential for growth in GA in South Africa. Aviation and maritime SAR is a state function in terms of ICAO Annex 12 and the SOLAS Convention. Urban SAR is rapidly expanding and the private market is rife. This is definitely a sector that’s in development and we are looking at having some medical rescue companies at the event as well, to show and explain to visitors how the process works.