The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)  announced a compelling lineup of keynote speakers for this year’s European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE), which will take place at Geneva’s Palexpo and Geneva International Airport from May 28-30.

The 2024 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE2024) is Europe’s premier on-demand aviation and advanced air mobility event, bringing together business aviation’s most important leaders, from Europe and around the world. The event offers an unequaled opportunity to see the newest business aircraft, state-of-the-art avionics, engines, advanced technologies, products and services.

The EBACE keynote session will feature Swiss aviation pioneer and environmentalist Dr. Bertrand Piccard, who first circumnavigated the globe non-stop in a balloon flight in 1999, then completed a round-the-world solar powered flight in 2016. At EBACE, Piccard will detail his next thrilling chapter, including plans to circumnavigate the globe in a hydrogen-powered airplane in 2028, through his latest project, Climate Impulse.

The EBACE keynote will also feature EUROCONTROL Director of Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre John Santurbano, a leader in the development of more fuel-efficient airspace routing. The EUROCONTROL leader’s perspectives will speak to issues in focus for the industry across Europe, including the ways new technologies are continually enhancing the safety and efficiency of a unified EU aviation system, the sustainability of operations and the work being done to integrate drones, Advanced Air Mobility transport vehicles and other new entrants into the system.

Opening the keynote will be Delphine Bachmann, an environmental advocate who is State Councillor in charge of the Department of Economy and Labour, State of Geneva. The city is home to Geneva Airport, a strategic asset for both commercial and business aviation, which directly and indirectly supports more than 33,000 jobs and generates 4.1 billion CHF to the region’s economy.

“EBACE offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from the decisionmakers collaborating with industry at all levels of government today, as well as the visionaries defining the industry’s future,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We are honored to have these leaders joining us at EBACE, as we continue to usher in an era of aviation that is more safe, secure and sustainable than ever.”

“EBACE2024 underscores the ever-growing importance of business aviation in European society,” said EBAA Secretary-General Holger Krahmer. “This premier event is our prime opportunity to display the industry’s significant contributions to technology, sustainability and economic development across the region and around the world. We are excited to lead in these areas, and look forward to welcoming everyone at the show to explore the exciting advancements that will change the way we think about aviation in the years ahead.”

The EBACE keynote session will kick off the convention, which will also include prominent, separate events featuring CEOs with major business aviation OEMs, advanced air mobility vehicle developers, emissions-offset program leaders, and top leaders with companies providing on-demand aviation services.

EBACE will also feature a three-day Sustainability Summit with leaders who are accelerating business aviation’s flight to net zero, as well as the availability of Sustainable Aviation Fuel at Geneva Airport for the show week.

The convention will also feature the newest aircraft, an Advanced Air Mobility aircraft on the outdoor display for the first time, the latest in alternative propulsion, an innovation zone with next-generation aircraft, the unveiling of new EBAA sustainability accreditation and headline-driving announcements from exhibiting companies.

About the EBACE2024 keynote speakers:

• Dr. Bertrand Piccard, an avid explorer, psychiatrist, environmentalist and aviator, is the first person to fly around the world non-stop in a balloon, and more recently, in a solar-powered airplane. He is the initiator and chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation, founder of the newly established Climate Impulse Foundation and a UN Goodwill ambassador for the environment.
• John Santurbano is the Director of the Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre for EUROCONTROL. He is responsible for one of the best performing and cost-effective air navigation service providers in Europe. Santurbano has spent his entire career in air traffic management and is an expert in the field. Prior to EUROCONTROL, Santurbano served as the acting director of Luxembourg’s air navigation service provider.
• Delphine Bachmann is the State Councillor in charge of the Department of Economy and Labour, State of Geneva. In this role, she is dedicated to driving the city’s environmental transition forward, while also building the most efficient economy for Geneva that helps local businesses and citizens thrive. Bachmann has held various leadership roles in the local government, including as Substitute Deputy of the Grand Council of Geneva, and later as a member of the Bureau of the Grand Council of Geneva.