The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro is poised to become another missed opportunity for business aviation, according to Brazilian general aviation industry group ABAG. At a press conference last Thursday, ABAG chairman Eduardo Marson Ferreira warned that Brazil’s authorities appear set to impose operational restrictions that will severely constrain the use of business aircraft.

ABAG director general Ricardo Nogueira told reporters that the Olympic Games (August 5-21, 2016) look to be at least as much of a disappointment for the business aviation community as last year’s World Cup soccer championship. “Years ago, when I was in the air force managing air traffic, there was a controllers’ slowdown, a protest about safety, and I said ‘You’ve achieved safety. There’s nothing that makes air traffic safer than keeping all the planes on the ground,’” he said. “Well, for the World Cup there was maximization of safety, achieved by minimizing general aviation.”

“It will be worse in August of next year,” he predicted, before divulging that at a recent meeting with Brazil’s SAC (Civil Aviation Secretariat) he was shown plans for air space control for the Olympics, to which he commented, “You’re taking Rio off the map!”

Marson added: “Three years ago, the week after the London Olympics ended, we brought specialists here to show how it’s done. It’s not lack of preparation, foresight or effort on our part.”

Nogueira added that, “In London, the planning [for aviation’s role in the Games] was done seven years ahead of time. Here, the culture is seven days.” As a result, for general aviation, the authorities are “minimizing the risk to zero, by not having any aircraft flying.”

LABACE Open For Business

In any case, ABAG officials emphasized that the 2016 LABACE show will go ahead next August. One possible difficulty is that the Olympic soccer tournament is being staged here in São Paulo and airport authority Infraero has demanded to use the show site as a business aviation terminal.

This year’s event officially opens at 10:30 a.m. local time today. According to Marson, Brazil’s economic downturn has not dented what he said is Latin America’s main general aviation event. “All the big companies are here, all the manufacturers are here, all the big service providers are here,” he said. “Brazil is the world’s second largest GA market.”

Nogueira gave provisional figures for the number of exhibitors and aircraft expected on the static display at LABACE this year: 154 brands on display (some share stands, but ABAG has to pay tax based on the number of brands exhibiting). He said 50 aircraft were scheduled to be on static display, with both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters well represented, although he indicated that as of last week there was still some uncertainty whether all the aircraft would make it.

According to ABAG, 35 percent of those attending the 2014 show were industry professionals, 6 percent were pilots, 2 percent press and 2 percent students. These figures were far lower than at previous LABACE shows, meaning that a higher proportion of the visitors were prospective business aviation customers.

Marson said that for many companies, marketing budgets have been reduced significantly. “This year was difficult for the economy and for aviation,” he commented. “Everyone knows sacrifices need to be made. But all the big manufacturers will be here, all the big service providers will be here. They may be less festive, they may be less in the mood to celebrate, but they are here.”

However, the ABAG chairman insisted that not all was doom and gloom in the Brazilian business aviation community. For example, he said that Helibras has seen growth in places linked to offshore oil, such as the states of Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro.