Tim Robinson reports from the 63rd National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) 2010 meeting and exhibition, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Embraer's 650 will make its US debut at NBAA this year (Embraer)
Coca-Cola, CNN and Corporate jets - it must be Atlanta, Georgia. This year the focus for business aviation NBAA, touches down in this southern US city - the 63rd NBAA meeting and exhibition.
However business aviation has been through a rough patch recently, with depressed prices, a large second-hand fleet and low production rates reflecting the overall economic situation.
Indeed some warn that it could be until 2012 until things really start to improve - and the industry truly begins to recover.
So will this year’s NBAA, like Farnborough earlier this year, give the sector the feel-good boost it needs and mark the start of the upturn?
Early reports seem to suggest so. The convention (already the fourth largest is the US) has seen Atlanta hotels booked solid. Visitor numbers say the organisers are up from 2009 and the major manufacturers are already lining up big announcements. The static line-up will feature around 100 aircraft - around the same as last year.
Bombardier has already announced the Global 7000 and 8000 ahead of the show (Bombardier)
In terms of news - Bombardier, for example has already beat others to it by revealing the Global 7000 and 8000 - designed to take rival Gulfstream’s flagship G650 head-on. Other manufacturers too are promising significant surprises at the show. BAE Systems for instance has ‘teased’ more details of a VIP conversion of its 146/RJX airliner and other updates from companies such as Piper and Aerion are also likely. Embraer’s new Legacy 650 will also make its US debut at NBAA.
Finally what is also interesting about NBAA is that it is probably the nearest the US comes to a Farnborough or Paris airshow style trade show. There is Oshkosh too, which sometimes sees the big boys like the Airbus A380 dropping in. However without a Farnborough/Paris of its own - for someUS (non-defence) aerospace companies muscling in on NBAA is a good way to reach the global aviation media and show off their wares.
Stay tuned for more NBAA news this week.
