Opportunities abound in CEE countries – CEPA’s message at EBACE

The newly appointed Board of the three-year old CEPA (Central Europe Private Aviation) will be in Geneva this week, meeting with their members and aiming to raise awareness internationally of viable investment opportunities available in business aviation in such countries as Poland and the Czech Republic.

“The CEE region has not been so affected by the financial turbulence in Europe this year and we have a reason to smile at this year’s EBACE,” said CEPA Founder Dagmar Grossmann. “We have a number of international events coming up in the region, not least the UEFA European Cup, which will inevitably see more western business aviation charter companies flying in – to Poland and the Ukraine.” CEPA Chairman Brendan Lodge added: “This year’s EBACE is important for our new Board to talk about the region and the high international standards our members’ companies are consistently setting, as well as hearing about the trends affecting operators in Europe. Attending this premier business aviation gathering is very valuable as we look to enrich our third annual networking conference toward the end of the year.”

CEPA Expo scheduled for November 29-30

Dates have now been confirmed for CEPA Expo 2012 (www.cepa.expo), the leading business aviation networking and conference event for Central and Eastern Europe. The event will start from midday on 29th November through to 30th November at the Prague Congress Centre. Last year’s event, attended by over 120 delegates, highlighted the wishes of CEE operators to compete on an equal playing field; the reticence among banks to finance business aircraft and the many challenges they share with their western counterparts – including ETS, slot allocation rules and obtaining access to European airports.

“EBACE, the premier international business aviation event in Europe, is a good opportunity to meet with lenders and financiers – to educate about them about the opportunities in our region, but also operators and charter providers – those who conduct business in Eastern and Western Europe. Our aim is to explore best practices and identify what these two groups of operators can learn from each other,” Brendan Lodge added.

CEPA is a voluntary, non-governmental and non-profit members association which co-ordinates the interests of executive aviation manufacturers, operators, airports, service providers, training establishments, fixed wing and rotary brokers to improve standards and best business practice in the region. Supporting services including financial, legal, insurance and publishing companies are also welcomed. The Association’s primary goal is to represent its members’ interests to support the growth of private aviation in the Czech Republic and abroad. For the future CEPA plans to develop an educational arm which will be responsible for providing information and data about the current climate in business aviation in Central Europe.

www.cepa.aero