AERO in Friedrichshafen once again showed why many rightly consider it one of the most important meeting points for general aviation in Europe. This year’s edition of the show, held from April 22 to 25, 2026, was record-breaking by several measures. According to the organizers, the 32nd edition of the fair welcomed around 37,000 visitors from 88 countries, while 860 exhibitors from 50 countries presented their products, services and solutions across more than one million square feet of gross exhibition space. Compared with last year’s 32,100 visitors, this represents significant growth, while the international nature of the event was further confirmed by the fact that 54 percent of exhibitors and 55 percent of visitors came from outside Germany.

Yet the numbers, impressive as they are, do not fully describe what AERO in Friedrichshafen really is. It is a trade fair where it is perhaps easiest to see just how broad aviation is, and how it does not have a classic, easily defined target audience. Among the visitors, it is impossible to identify one common predisposition that connects them all. Regardless of age, gender, race, profession or flying experience, everyone came for the same reason: to see what is new in the world of general aviation.

Of course, it must be understood that AERO is, above all, a sales fair. Aircraft manufacturers, suppliers of related equipment, spare parts, aviation software, avionics, airport equipment and numerous other products come there with a very clear goal: to present, offer and ultimately sell their product. Yet this is precisely one of the fair’s special qualities. Although the business background of every exhibition hall is clearly visible, most exhibitors showed enough patience and willingness to present their exhibits even to those who are not necessarily buyers, but are simply curious, passionate about aviation or eager to see first-hand where the industry is heading.

At AERO, general aviation pilots can sit in their “dream plane”, talk to demonstration pilots, sales representatives and technical staff, and compare aircraft they may previously have seen only in photos or catalogues. But what particularly stands out is networking. In the halls and corridors of Friedrichshafen Messe, it is almost impossible to pass through without meeting someone familiar from the aviation world. Someone will recommend a stand worth visiting, someone will share experience with a particular aircraft type, someone will hand you a brochure, while someone else will simply stop for a short chat that very quickly turns into a half-hour aviation discussion.

This is where the spirit of AERO is most clearly visible. Aviation is lived there, felt in the air and present at every step. Even during lunch, sitting on garden benches in the fairground courtyard with traditional German sausages, you hear almost nothing around you except conversations about aircraft, engines, avionics solutions, new regulations, airfields, flights and plans. And even if, for a brief moment, you forget where you are, the Zeppelin flying over the fairgrounds quickly reminds you.

This year, the business aviation segment was particularly strong. According to the organizers, the Business Aviation Dome in the static display area was 50 percent larger than last year, while exhibitors from that segment occupied Hall A1, the largest hall at the show, as well as Halls A2 and parts of A3. Visitors were able to compare a wide range of aircraft, from large long-range business jets such as the Bombardier Global 6500 and Dassault Falcon 6X, through light business jets, single- and twin-engine turboprops and piston aircraft, to LSA aircraft, ultralights and helicopters.