The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and Central European Private Aviation (CEPA) announced a partnership to jointly promote the new CEPA Expo and EBAA Regional Forum. The groups will stage the first of the new format events in the Czech capital Prague on October 14 and 15.

The CEPA Expo conference has been held annually since 2010 with the aim of promoting growth for business aviation in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, and to encourage stronger connections with the industry in Western Europe. EBAA has previously held its own regional forums at different European venues, in addition to the annual EBACE show in Geneva, Switzerland.

The main focus of the event’s conference agenda will be the impact of Russia’s economic crisis on business aviation for operators, suppliers and service providers. The show is being held in Prague’s historic castle.

“Because of historic and cultural reasons, among other things, getting EBAA’s work and visibility across in the CEE is more challenging than in other parts of Europe,” said EBAA chief executive Fabio Gamba. “This, along with the growing importance of the sector in the region, has prompted us to team up with companies that already have a strong presence locally, such as CEPA. We feel it is now time to roll up our sleeves and pull together our respective strengths to turn this highly successful event into a truly not-to-be missed event for business aviation.”