AERO Friedrichshafen: the general aviation trade show for spotters

There are no Airbus columns or widebody waves on Lake Constance. Instead, once a year almost everything stands side by side that you see only as a footnote at big airports: gliders next to turboprops, ultralights next to long-range business jets, helicopters next to hydrogen prototypes. AERO Friedrichshafen is the general aviation trade show – and a must-attend date for spotters who like collecting registrations that otherwise never come in front of the lens. This guide explains how the show came about, what awaits you on the grounds, how getting there and the fly-in work and how best to plan your day at the fence and in the halls.

AERO in brief

AERO is a trade show for general aviation, meaning everything that is not airline or military aviation: private and sport aircraft, gliding, ultralight flying, helicopters, flight schools, avionics, powerplants and business aviation. It takes place every April on the grounds of Messe Friedrichshafen, which borders directly on Friedrichshafen Airport. The organizer is Fairnamic GmbH, a joint venture of Messe Friedrichshafen and Messe Frankfurt.

The 2026 edition ran from April 22 to 25 and, according to the organizer, was the 32nd AERO. Around 37,000 visitors from 88 nations were reported – up from 32,100 the year before – as well as 860 exhibitors from 50 nations on 95,000 square meters. More than half of the exhibitors and visitors came from abroad. According to the show, around half of the visitors hold a pilot license themselves.

From special show to flagship trade show

AERO’s roots lie in a motorsport fair. In the late 1970s, Friedrichshafen showed a special exhibition on flight sports for the first time at the RMF exhibition (Rennsport, Motor, Freizeit – racing, motors, leisure), then still with a few dozen exhibitors. In the early 1980s the show switched to a two-year rhythm, and from 1983 both fairs ran together under the name RMF – AERO.

In 1993 aviation split from the motorsport fair and became an independent international trade show for general aviation. Since 2010 AERO has been held annually again. In the years after, dedicated topic areas were added: from 2011 an exhibition on electric flight, from 2013 an area for civilian drones. Today the future topics are called sustainable aviation, hydrogen and battery propulsion; in 2026 the show bundled them in Hall A7 with a new innovation stage.

The location is no coincidence. Friedrichshafen is the city of the Zeppelins and of Dornier, and aviation history lies here in a small area. The Zeppelin Museum in the harbor and the Dornier Museum right at the airport tell the story in detail; the article on the history of the Zeppelins provides the background. Right next to the exhibition grounds is also the hangar where the Zeppelin NT are built and maintained.

Under the AERO brand there are now spin-offs abroad too: AERO South Africa, AERO Asia in Zhuhai, China, and from December 2027 AERO Middle East near Riyadh.

What awaits you on the grounds

AERO is spread over twelve exhibition halls and the static display in the open air. The hall allocation changes from year to year. For 2027 the organizer has announced the following layout:

Area	Where in 2027	What you see there
Business aviation	Hall A1 and Business Aviation Dome	Business jets and turboprops, charter providers, Air Charter Expo
Helicopters	Hall A2	Helicopter manufacturers and providers, in 2027 closer to business aviation and flight schools
Powered flight	Halls A3 to A6	single- and twin-engine piston and turboprop aircraft, avionics, accessories
New propulsion	Hall A7	Start-ups, hydrogen and electric propulsion, new aircraft concepts
UL and LSA	B halls	Ultralights, light sport aircraft, ultralight helicopters
Gliding	Hall not yet named	AERO Gliding Expo with glider manufacturers and suppliers who exhibit every other year – in 2027 they are back

In addition, according to the organizer, there are around 300 talks, conferences and workshops, a GA Academy with training for private pilots and clubs, and offerings on training and careers in aviation. If you are interested in the path to the cockpit, the flight schools are worth a look: here you can discuss training routes such as PPL, LAPL, glider license or ultralight license directly with schools and clubs.

The static display

For spotters the static display is the real highlight. Because the show is at the airport, exhibitors roll their aircraft straight from the apron onto the exhibition area and partly into the halls. In 2026 the organizer reported the largest static display to date; the Business Aviation Dome grew by half compared with the previous year. According to the show, the following could be seen, among others:

• Long-range business jets such as the Bombardier Global 6500 and Dassault Falcon 6X
• the Cessna Citation Ascend from Textron Aviation – for the first time at a show outside the US
• the Cessna SkyCourier – for the first time at a show in Europe
• Daher TBM 980 and Kodiak 900 – each for the first time at a show outside the US
• current versions of the SR series and the Vision Jet from Cirrus
• world premieres such as the Kaelin Aerospace B-100C tandem trainer and the fast ultralight Promecc Terrone

Even before the show, a Hamburg charter operator had ordered nine Cessna Citation Latitude at the Media Day. Such deals are not visible to visitors, but show why manufacturers bring their newest aircraft to Lake Constance.

Airshow and Saturday program

AERO is first and foremost a trade show, not an air show. In 2026, however, the organizer expanded the flying program on Saturday: from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. the Flying Bones skydived, father and son Niebergall flew two SIAI-Marchetti SF-260s in formation, and Mirko Flaim showed a Bo 105 for the Flying Bulls. Afterward there was a meet and greet with the pilots. An airshow is again announced for Saturday 2027; the program will only be set shortly before the show.

In 2026 there were also new formats for younger fans: creator panels with aviation influencers and pilots on the innovation stage, guided show tours on topics such as sustainable aviation or new propulsion, and a kids area. If you do not want to just stand in the halls, Saturday is therefore the most varied day. Keep in mind, though: in 2027, according to the organizer, the business aviation area closes already on Friday at 2 p.m. Anyone who wants to see the big jets in the Dome therefore has to come on a weekday.

Fly-in: when the visitors fly themselves

What sets AERO apart from many other shows is the visitor traffic from the air. Many pilots fly in with their own or their club’s aircraft. So that the small airport with its single runway 06/24 does not overflow, takeoffs and landings during the show require a slot – including for helicopters. In 2026 pre-registration opened on February 12; for 2027 the organizer names mid-February. From mid-March, registered pilots are unlocked in blocks to book their time windows.

A few key points from the organizer’s notes on the 2026 edition:

• When booking, the crew pays a slot reservation fee; landing and parking charges are billed after the show.
• Pilots flying in get a free day ticket for the show.
• Passengers must be registered in advance and may not enter the airport grounds without the pilot’s escort. A mandatory shuttle runs between the crew tent and the aircraft.
• Ultralights (three-axis aircraft, trikes, gyroplanes) divert to the Markdorf ultralight airfield about ten kilometers to the west, only with prior permission.
• From Mengen and Leutkirch there were shuttles to the show, from Konstanz you continue by catamaran, and from Biberach by train to the Friedrichshafen Flughafen stop.

For you as a spotter that means: on show days a colorful mix of light aircraft, turboprops and business jets comes to Friedrichshafen, many of them from abroad. How to find and photograph general aviation traffic in general is covered in the guide Spotting general aviation; for the big jets, Spotting business jets is worthwhile, and for the rotary-wing aircraft Spotting helicopters.

Getting there without your own aircraft

The organizer explicitly recommends arriving by public transport. The main routes according to the AERO website:

The organizer plans to publish tickets and prices for 2027 from the end of November 2026. The opening hours are already set: Wednesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Spotting tips for show day

A trade show is not a classic spotting position, but with a bit of planning you get more different types in front of your lens on one AERO day than at a big hub in a week.

• Be there early. The halls open at 9 a.m. In the static display it is still empty in the morning, aircraft stand free, and you get shots without crowds in front of the fuselage.
• Think about the light. Runway 06/24 runs roughly from southwest to northeast. How to derive from that when which side is in the light is explained in the guide Planning the sun position. April often brings clear but changeable weather on Lake Constance.
• Pack a short focal length. In the static display you stand close, so a wide-angle or standard zoom is often more important than the big telephoto. For approaches and the airshow you need the long focal length again – tips are in Photographing airshows.
• Note down registrations. Many show aircraft carry foreign registrations or are brand new. Record type, registration and exhibitor while you are standing in front of it – light aircraft quickly blur in memory.
• Use departure day. When the visitors’ aircraft fly back on Saturday afternoon, there is a lot going on at the airport. The airport’s observation deck and the terrace at the Dornier Museum give you a view of apron and runway – details are in the profile of Friedrichshafen Airport.

A whole Lake Constance weekend

If you travel farther, you are best off turning AERO into two or three days. Around Friedrichshafen there is enough aviation for a weekend:

• The Dornier Museum is right at the airport and tells the aerospace history of Dornier – from the flying boats to satellite technology.
• The Zeppelin Museum in the old Hafenbahnhof tells the history of the airships. With a bit of luck, the Zeppelin NT takes off at the airport during the season.
• On the other side of the lake is the Altenrhein aviation museum, where you can combine an aviation museum with historic aircraft and the traffic at St. Gallen-Altenrhein airfield.
• To the north a side trip to Stuttgart is worthwhile, to the south to Zurich, if you want to see airliners again after the light aircraft.

If you like the mix of trade show and flight operations, ILA Berlin offers the bigger program with military and airliners. An overview of further dates is given in the guide Airshows in Europe.

Conclusion

AERO Friedrichshafen is where Europe’s general aviation comes together every spring. For spotters it is valuable because show and airport are one: exhibitors roll their aircraft from the apron into the static display, visitors fly in with their own aircraft, and on Saturday there is a small airshow. Anyone who comes early, picks the right day for their interests and takes in Zeppelin, Dornier and Altenrhein experiences a spotting weekend on Lake Constance that no big hub can offer.