ILA Berlin Air Show - History

History

It was first held in Frankfurt am Main in 1909, and as such can lay claim to being the oldest aviation show in the world. After the first ILA, following the idea of the aircraft constructor August Euler, numerous flying clubs combined to form the German Pilots' Association in April 1910. Shortly after, the Association of German Aircraft Makers was founded in Frankfurt/Main, establishing close ties between the ILA and the future Federal Association of the Aerospace Industry (BDLI), an organisation that exists today.

Before the First World War, the ILA was held in Berlin (1912 and later on in 1928). When Germany regained air sovereignty after the Second World War, the foundations were laid in 1955 for an "International Show for Travel by Air", which in 1957 took place at Langenhagen Airport as part of the Hanover Trade Fair, the first in a run of ILA shows in Hanover that was to last over 30 years.

Known initially as the German Aviation Show, the fair was increasingly attracting participants from abroad, and in 1978 the symbolic three letters ILA from 1909 were revived. In 1992, the far-reaching political and economic changes which had taken place in Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall opened the way for the ILA to return to its birthplace in Berlin. The ILA’s main display sections include commercial aviation, aerospace, military aviation and military technology, equipment and engines, and general aviation and helicopters.