ACE 18 – A winning Formula

BACA and Stansted News delivered a compelling day of activity for air charter brokers and operators at ACE18. Staged at London Biggin Hill airport on 11thSeptember, more than 850 people enjoyed a superb blend of presentations, static display and exhibitors. With a wide variety aircraft on the static display and 60+ exhibitors there was plenty for visitors to see including an impressive Formula 1 combination of the Grand Prix challenge courtesy of PrivateFly and a Sauber Formula 1 car on display thanks to GlobeAir.

The conference programme kicked off with BACA’s CEO breakfast forum with a packed room of CEOs and senior management. This was an opportunity for chairman Richard Mumford and CEO Dave Edwards to update delegates on BACA’s work in the market over the past year, as well as to join together to discuss the main issues and challenges facing the aviation industry. One of the most pressing subjects being Brexit and the need for clear direction on how UK and European brokers and operators can arrange flights post Brexit.

On the static display there were aircraft of all sizes, including a Gulfstream G280, a Dassault Falcon 2000XLS, a Cessna Citation Latitude, a Bombardier Challenger 650 and an Airbus A318. The number and variety of aircraft assembled made the display the most impressive collection of aircraft displayed in the UK for an air charter event. Visitors had plenty of opportunities to climb on board and take a look at cabin capacity, seating configurations and talk with pilots and crew. 

The number of exhibitors increased again for the 2018 event with 60+ exhibitors providing delegates the chance to discuss all aspects of air charter. There were an increased number of overseas exhibitors which helped bring a more international feeling to the day.

BACA Chairman Richard Mumford summed up the day by saying “ACE 18 has been an incredible success, I am delighted how this event has evolved to become a must visit for brokers and operators. I am particularly pleased at the growing number of international delegates and have been delighted to meet visitors from the United States, Germany, Austria, France, Italy and Sweden. I would like to thank our sponsors and congratulate Stansted News and London Biggin Hill Airport for their hard work in staging ACE18, I look forward to welcoming even more visitors again in 2019.”