The second edition of the Air Charter Expo (ACE’17) took place at Biggin Hill Airport in London on September 12. Co-organizers BACA the Air Charter Association, Stansted News and the airport itself put together the one-day event, incorporating a conference, static park and trade show that attracted a record 800 attendees and 80 exhibitors. This year’s event was the first time that BACA helped organize the Expo.

The conference touched on new technology, cyber crime and how entrepreneurial charter brokers could turn Brexit to their advantage, in particular by joining BACA and adhering to its standards and equating membership with a stamp of quality.

Jeremy Cook, chief economist at World First, “gave our members a frank insight into the current state of Brexit and the global economy,” according to BACA chairman Richard Mumford. “The apparent lack of progress and political posturing at the broad governmental level will have an impact on the ability of individual markets, including the aviation sector, to reach a collaborative agreement on how to work together after the Brexit process is complete. BACA calls on the negotiators on both sides to set aside their political ambitions and to reach a pragmatic solution, so that those broad principles can flow through to the individual markets and business sectors.”

The association is rolling out an accredited brokerage rating in conjunction with Argus International, and Mumford urged brokers to sign up. A major concern for the charter industry is the advent of new cost/flight-sharing apps that bypass the requirement for an air operator certificate and professionally trained crew.

“BACA seeks to raise awareness between brokers, operators, airports, handlers and others so that they understand each others’ challenges and better appreciate why sometimes it is difficult to provide exactly what is requested of them,” Mumford explained. “The development of new business models, including cost-sharing platforms and clubs that sell individual seats on aircraft, present great opportunities to attract new customers into the business aviation market. However, it is vital that these new models be assessed and that the distinction between private and commercial operations does not become blurred. BACA is concerned that with limited resources and the impending Brexit, these other important issues might not receive as much attention as might be ideal from regulators.”

At ACE’17, however, the mood was upbeat. “Richard Mumford, as a lawyer, is not one for exaggerating the past or over-promising for the future, yet his opening address to ACE’17 was full of confidence,” said Adam Twidell, CEO of online brokerage PrivateFly.

There were 20 business aircraft on display, including Dassault’s Falcon 8X and the Piaggio Avanti Evo. “The British market is an important one for us, and we are very focused on developing it,” said Filippo Tritoni, Piaggio’s European sales director.

“There are no tire-kickers here,” said Glen Smith, accountable manager for exhibitor Sovereign Business Jets.

“There was a real buzz about the event,” Mumford said, “and given it was our first attempt, we believe we have a fantastic platform from which to build in future years.”

“At this year’s event we have seen a fantastic representation of exhibitors and this, combined with the ease of access to London Biggin Hill, has certainly helped to increase attendance,” said Andy Patsalides, marketing manager, London Biggin Hill Airport.

There were mixed feelings about where the next edition should be held, with some calling for a different European location to reflect BACA’s membership. However, said James Dillon-Godfray, Oxford Airport’s business development director, “It’s great to have one event in the UK solely focused on business aviation.”