EBACE 2026 canceled
European business jet show has struggled in recent years
The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) has canceled its annual European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) show less than two months before it was scheduled to take place.
“This is a difficult decision, and one we have not taken lightly,” Stefan Benz, EBAA CEO, said. “We know it will cause disappointment for exhibitors, partners and participants who had committed to this year’s event and placed their trust in it. However, we believe this is the most responsible course of action.”
EBACE, billed as Europe’s premier business jet convention, was first launched in 2001 by EBAA and the National Business Aviation Association. In its heyday, it attracted more than 400 exhibitors and about 13,000 visitors annually.
But after the COVID-19 pandemic, the show has been struggling to adapt to new market conditions. The two organizations ended their joint partnership in 2025, leaving EBAA to try to reshape the show alone in response to new market expectations. Bad timing and increased competition from other high-profile aviation events in Europe contributed to the event’s demise.
Aero Friedrichshafen, Europe’s premier general aviation show, takes place April 22 to 25 in Germany, followed by ILA Berlin June 10 to 14. The Farnborough International Airshow, one of the two largest commercial aviation shows (held in alternating years with the Paris Air Show), will be held July 20 to 24.
The high costs forced many manufacturers to choose where they would exhibit. Increasingly, they eschewed EBACE for those other events.
“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,” the organization said. The cancelation “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.”
EBACE was also the site of unwanted attention in 2023, when about 100 climate activists chained themselves to jets on static display to protest carbon emissions and other negative environmental effects of private aviation.
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