2003 Press Releases

LABACE2003 Attendance Exceeds Expectations

São Paulo, Brazil, March 24, 2003 - The Associação Brasileira de Aviação Geral (ABAG) and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) jointly sponsored the First Annual Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (LABACE2003) from March 13 to 15 in São Paulo, Brazil. Attendance for this event surpassed all expectations, with 2,876 registered Attendees viewing the products and services of 88 Exhibiting Companies at the Transamérica Expo Center and 16 aircraft on Static Display at Congonhas Airport. LABACE is the first Latin American event of its kind to focus exclusively on business aviation.

During the event's Opening General Session, Latin American government leaders offered their support for business aviation. In particular, Federal government representatives praised business aviation for allowing access to air services for a much wider array of destinations than the airlines, which typically serve around 10 percent of all existing airfields. The São Paulo State Secretary of Transportation also announced the state's intention to build another airport in the São Paulo metropolitan area that will be focused on general and business aviation.

"ABAG is proud to have achieved such a success at LABACE's first edition, which was largely due to NBAA's excellent reputation and expertise in the organization of exhibitions and informational sessions for the business aviation community," said ABAG's President Rui Thomaz de Aquino.

NBAA President Jack Olcott added, "NBAA was honored to partner with ABAG to produce an outstanding informational program and showcase for business aviation, a safe, secure and efficient form of transportation that offers significant benefits for increasing productivity."

NBAA and ABAG have announced that LABACE2004 will take place March 4 to 6, 2004, in São Paulo, Brazil. For more information about LABACE2003, and to review Informational Session presentations, visit the web at www.labace.org.

LABACE2004, the 2nd Annual Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition, is organized jointly by the Associação Brasileira de Aviação Geral (ABAG) and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). This event, the only Latin American exhibition of its kind to focus exclusively on business aviation, will be held March 4 through 6, 2004, at Transamérica Expo Center in São Paulo, Brazil. The Static Display of Aircraft will be located at Congonhas Airport, approximately 20 minutes from the Expo Center.

NBAA represents the aviation interests of more than 7,300 companies that own or operate general aviation aircraft as an aid to the conduct of their business, or are involved with business aviation. NBAA Member Companies earn annual revenues approaching $5 trillion — a number that is about half the gross domestic product — and employ more than 19 million people worldwide. The NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention is the world's largest display of civil aviation products and services.

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