Exhibitors in this field will now represent 20% of the total and will focus on the training of pilots, mechanics, air traffic controllers, cabin crew and handling, among others, and 8 of the 10 conferences organised will also focus on these training options.
Núria Gil points out that this increase in the importance of training is in line with one of the objectives of Lleida-Alguaire Airport, which is to attract vocations among young people and to facilitate their access to professional opportunities and the labour demand in the sector.
Jordi Candela stresses that the fair’s professionalism and specialisation in aeronautics has helped to strengthen the infrastructure’s position as a benchmark for industrial and service airports.
The fair, which will take place on 5 and 6 October at Lleida-Alguaire Airport, will bring back aerobatic displays for the family public.
This year’s LleidaAirChallenge fair, which will be held at Lleida-Alguaire Airport on 5 and 6 October, shows an increase in the presence of aeronautical training, which can be seen both in the number of companies in the sector and in the conferences organised. Specifically, there will be 21 exhibitors dedicated to this activity, representing 21% of the total of the 98 registered. As for the informative sessions, 8 of the 10 planned will focus on aeronautical training in various specialities. This was explained today by the government delegate in Lleida, Núria Gil, during the presentation of the 2024 edition of the event, which was also attended by the director of Airports of Catalonia, Jordi Candela. Also in attendance were the director of Lleida-Alguaire Airport, Antoni Serra, and the director of the Fair, Antonio Gil.
Núria Gil pointed out that this increased number of training companies will cover a wide range of career opportunities, ranging from piloting to aircraft maintenance and repair, as well as cabin crew, air traffic control and handling, among others, and that there is a high level of demand for these occupations.
Some of the companies that will be present in Alguaire are BAA Training, Aerolink Flight Academy, Deamair, European Aviation School, Just2Fly, OnAir Academia Aérea, Panamedia International Flight School, CESDA, Centro de Estudios Aeronáuticos, EFAV, Instituto Isla de los Banyols, EuroAula and Central Escuela Aeronáutica.
Diversity of the fields represented
The fair has reached full occupancy. Among the exhibiting firms, and apart from the 21 flight schools already mentioned, there will also be 21 that supply small or large drones for different uses such as agriculture, construction or firefighting; 4 service companies that offer aerotaxis prepared for the needs of all customers and others focused on the use of helicopters; 19 dedicated to space exploration, consulting, aerial reconnaissance, pilot products and maintenance, aircraft repair and manufacturing, general aviation aircraft sales and leasing; and 29 others including aeroclubs, the ULM Pilots Federation and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, among others. Due to the success in aircraft and engine parts sales, this year brands such as Wing Master, Cirrus, Ela, UL Power and Diamond will also be represented.
The location of the fair will be the same as last year, on the industrial platform, around the hangars and the campus space, with three large marquees dedicated, respectively, to training, new aeronautical technologies and new aerial mobility. There will also be a space reserved for simulators.
Positive impact on the territory
The Government delegate has valued very positively the increase in aeronautical schools, because one of the objectives of Lleida-Alguaire Airport is also ‘to reinforce its potential to attract vocations among young people and to facilitate their access to the professional opportunities offered by the sector’.
Núria Gil also pointed out that this growing area of training at the airport also represents ‘an increasingly relevant contribution to the general economic impact of the airport on the territory’. The airport itself houses aeronautical schools with a significant number of trainers and students, and is working to have a new aeronautical training centre and a residence for pilots next year.
For his part, Jordi Candela emphasised that the Lleida Air Challenge Fair ‘provides a space for exhibitors linked to the five areas on which the airport’s development is based, which are commercial, technological, industrial, New Space and training’. According to Candela, the fair has been taking on ‘a dynamic oriented towards professionalisation and aeronautical specialisation, which helps to strengthen the position of Lleida-Alguaire Airport as a benchmark for industrial and service airports, in line with the change of strategy that was proposed a few years ago’. In this sense, he highlighted the presence at the fair of aircraft distributors and manufacturers as well as companies that develop aeronautical software.
Other novelties
This year, unlike previous years, there will be an aerobatic aerial festival, which will accompany the fair and give it a festive feel throughout the weekend. In fact, the festival itself will take place on Sunday morning, but on Saturday, both at midday and in the afternoon, there will be training sessions for the pilots.
In addition to the aerobatic flights, there will be exhibitions of helicopters, drones, model aeroplanes, etc.
This year there will be a train that, all day Saturday and all morning Sunday, will run from the Plaça de la Sardana in Alguaire to the airport so that anyone interested in seeing the fair who has no other way of getting there or who prefers this one can use it. The event will include food trucks and bar service.
10th edition of the fair
This year’s fair is the 10th edition of the fair, which remains the only one dedicated to aeronautics in Catalonia and in Spain.
In 2013, the first Lleidaairchallenge was held at Lleida-Alguaire Airport with the aim of opening the doors to equipment in the territory and with the objective of being a meeting place for professionals from the sector, companies, institutions and aero clubs and offering a platform to showcase innovations, market trends and establish contacts. It is also a date on the calendar for all aviation enthusiasts in the region who have the opportunity to learn about new industry technologies and aircraft, drones and helicopters in an aeronautical environment.
Flights to Palma de Mallorca will be maintained on Friday and Sunday, as the fair occupies a space on the apron that does not interfere with commercial aviation.
More information: https://lleidaairchallenge.cat/
