Due to rising worries about COVID-19 cases in Europe and wide travel restrictions, the Aero expo in Friedrichshafen, Germany, has been canceled for the second year a row. “In view of the travel and event restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had already moved the originally envisaged AERO date from April to summer at the beginning of this year. But at present, despite rising vaccination numbers in Europe, it is foreseeable that AERO 2021 will not be allowed to take place in July either,” the show organizers said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
For the time being, the European Rotors show in Cologne is still planned for Nov. 16 to 18 and the next Aero show has been set for April 30, 2022, more than a year away. In the interim, Aero Friedrichshafen will develop and publish digital content for people who would otherwise attend the show. “In this way, we will maintain contact with our exhibitors, visitors and all networks until the trade show date in April 2022 and share the fascination of aviation with the industry all year round under #wearega and #aerofriedrichshafen,” said AERO project manager Tobias Bretzel.
Although Germany has relaxed travel restrictions for travelers entering from the European economic area, testing and quarantine requirements remain in place for travelers from high-risk areas. France and Austria require pre-travel clearance and/or evidence of COVID-19 screening.
Reuters reported that Europe had a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases in early April, but the latest data indicates a down trend in both cases and deaths. Vaccination rates continue to lag in Europe and especially in Germany, where about 15 percent of the population had been vaccinated by mid-April.
