AERO South Africa partners with Lanseria International Airport for its 2025 edition

Johannesburg, South Africa: Southern Africa’s leading general aviation event, AERO South Africa has partnered with Lanseria International Airport to bring the fifth edition from 25 – 27 June 2025. This marked a shift from Wonderboom National Airport where the show has been held in past years.  AERO South Africa is organised by Messe Frankfurt South Africa in partnership with fairnamic GmbH (a joint venture formed by Messe Frankfurt and Messe Friedrichshafen). The event is styled as a business-to-business trade show and not a public airshow. Given its nature, children under 15 years of age are not allowed to enter the trade show.

The popular trade show provides an excellent opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their best products and services, and attracts participants from across South Africa, Southern Africa and other parts of the continent. Exhibitors range from aircraft manufacturers, aviation and aeronautical equipment manufacturers, software design companies, unmanned aircraft manufacturers, aviation training organisations, and entrepreneurs.

The show’s constituent components include an immersive aviation exhibition, a park and sell area for those wishing to sell their aircraft, a fly-in component, demo flights, various workshops (such as the General Aviation Indaba), the Youth Development Programme, and a Business Matchmaking Programme.

The Youth Development Programme requires separate pre-registration by young people who wish to participate in this empowering programme. The platform affords the younger generation a collegial environment to learn from practitioners (pilots, engineers, cabin crew, entrepreneurs etc) in the industry on the various opportunities available for entry into the sector. With the success of this programme during the 2024 AERO South Africa, the 2025 edition is bound to be equally vibrant.

Also worth noting is the General Aviation Indaba, an industry talk in which thought leaders congregate to discuss the state of the industry, and its contribution to the broader economy. The Indaba’s success can be attributed to the ongoing partnership between  AERO South Africa and Flying Jurist (Pty) Ltd. Launched during the 2024 show, the General Aviation Indaba continues to grow from strength to strength, connecting government agencies, regulatory bodies, with entrepreneurs, academia, research institutes, aviation training organisations and other stakeholders in a bid to find solutions for the advancement of general aviation not only in South Africa, but in the larger Southern African region and African continent as a whole. The General Aviation Indaba also requires separate pre-registration for participants.

Given Lanseria’s niche position (both geographically and in terms of air traffic volumes), this new partnership looks set to bring much needed growth in the sector, whilst acting as an active catalyst to the Gauteng economy.

Prof Angelo Dube