EBACE, Europe’s annual business aviation convention, is returning to Geneva, its home for the past 25 years, in May 2026. However, the show will alternate in a different European city every odd year.
It follows a review of EBACE’s format by its owner, the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), with speculation that the event would move to a new permanent location. Geneva and the show itself have long come under fire from some exhibitors for being too expensive.
EBAA hosted a stripped-back EBACE in Geneva this May – there was no aircraft display as in previous years – after splitting with the USA’s National Business Aviation Association, with which it had jointly run EBACE since its inception in 2001.
EBAA itself has also been through internal turmoil, with its secretary general Holger Krahmer stepping down with immediate effect on 27 June, and chief operating officer Robert Baltus to depart later this year. Stefan Benz has replaced Krahmer as interim managing director.
The organisation says next year’s EBACE will see the return of a “full static display”, while an effort will be made to open the show “to business aviation adjacent industries”.
EBAA is not providing details about locations in odd years but says the event will “deliver the best of both worlds” with Geneva remaining the “home base” while in alternating years it will “take the show on the road, closer to members across Europe”.
The decision will surprise some as the Swiss city was thought to have been out of contention because of a backlash from manufacturers over costs and a failure to attract enough high-end aircraft buyers to the event. This year, Leonardo Helicopters was the only airframer to exhibit.
Sticking with Geneva every other year appears to be a compromise with those who wanted EBACE to remain at its traditional Palexpo venue next to the airport.
“Geneva offers a world-class platform with its proven static display and infrastructure,” says Benz. “The alternating years allow us to reach new audiences, new markets, and showcase business aviation in a broader way.”
EBACE 2026 will take place from 27-29 May.
