Even Brazil is going through a  challenging economic crisis, ABAG - Brazilian Association of General Aviation, faced the problems that the country presents  and successfully promoted the 13th edition of LABACE – Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition.

The Event is held annually during the month of August, for the 2016 edition it was transferred to the last two days of August and ending on the first day of September, in order to avoid problems for exhibitors when bringing their aircraft in the period of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Each year, ABAG has been filtering its audience at LABACE  focusing the fair exclusively on potential buyers and consolidating an important business fair for the executive aviation market in Latin America.

One hundred and fifty brands and 48 aircraft presented their products to the General and Executive Aviation market in the 2016 edition. Compared to the 2015 edition – 154 exhibitors and 50 aircraft statically present at the event.

With regard to  highlight at LABACE 2016 in relation to jets – Dassault's new flagship, the Falcon 8X, debuted at this 13th edition of LABACE and in Brazil. The jet, which is valued at an average of $188 million, was recently certified by the FAA and EASA with customer start-up for the beginning of the fourth quarter. THE  ANAC's Brazilian certification is planned for the coming months.

"The Falcon 8X has broken new ground," said Jean Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon Jet. “Brazil has shown strong demand for the Falcon 8X since it first announced the program two years ago with four of the first 20 planes scheduled to be delivered here. This is a big sign of a Brazilian market that could be just around the corner The Falcon 8X can fly from São Paulo to Moscow, non-stop, as well as across the entire continent of the United States and Europe.”

Derived from the popular Falcon 7X, the Falcon 8X “ultra-long range” class jet was unveiled in May 2014 at EBACE and first flew on February 6, 2015. The 8X will offer the widest range and longest cabin of any Falcon built, allowing it to comfortably fly its passengers. It will also share the 7X's exceptional operating and short-range economics.

Leader Aviação and Honda Aircraft Company have confirmed the presence of the HondaJet. The aircraft, which Líder represents exclusively in Brazil, was the main attraction of LABACE 2015 and again attracted more visitors this year, after having entered into operation in the United States and Europe. This was another opportunity to  see jet comfort up close  the world's most advanced lightweight category.

In addition to the HondaJet, Líder also presented its portfolio of Bombardier jets and semi-new multi-brand aircraft. The company also had exclusive spaces to present its full range of services, which include aircraft sharing, airport assistance, maintenance, chartering and aircraft management, among others. “LABACE is of great importance in the international aviation calendar and, therefore, we make a point of being present every year. It is an opportunity to review customers, make new contacts and show our solutions to the market”, says the aircraft sales director, Philipe Figueiredo.

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Brazilian executive jet manufacturer Embraer Executive Jets presented its Phenom 100E, Phenom 300, Legacy 450, Legacy 500 and Legacy 650 jets.

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Canadian Bombardier was present with static Global 6000 aircraft, the current flagship of the manufacturer and the Challenger 350.

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American Gulfstream Aerospace was present with its incredible and luxurious Gulfstream G280, G550 and G650ER jets – The G650ER is the world's fastest business jet.

TAM Aviação Executivo, representative of the Cessna manufacturer from Textron Aviation, brought to the fair the Cessna Citation Latitude jets; Citation CJ3+; Citation M2; King Air 350i; Cessna 208 Grand Caravan EX; Turbo Stationair HD; Beechcraft Baron G58 and the Beechcraft Bonanza.

About the rotary wing market – Helibras ended its participation in LABACE 2016 with the signing of two new sales contracts for Esquilo helicopters for the civil segment, one of which was on display at the fair.

In addition, the company signed a letter of intent for HCare Smart, a service line for managing components and maintenance in installments per flight hour, which has the availability of the Airbus Helicopters group's worldwide stock for standard parts exchanges.

In its thirteenth participation in LABACE, Helibras presented the differentials of being the only manufacturer of helicopters in the country and exhibited a dynamic set of H125 sectioned to enable the vision of the operation and interior of the main gearbox, tail and mast. Repairs and overhaul of this set are made only by Helibras in Brazil. Models of blades repaired in its workshop, which is the only one approved in South America for this type of service, were also on display at the event.

Through virtual reality glasses, the public also experienced one of Airbus Helicopters' newest products. The device allowed visitors to see the cabin and fly the H175 in VIP or Oil & Gas configuration.

Bell Helicopter and Textron Aviation were present to discuss the state-of-the-art product line, customizable options, as well as ongoing customer support in the region, among other topics. On display at the fair, Bell Helicopter presented the Bell 429 MAGnificient, the Bell 407GXP and the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X.

“Each year, LABACE proves to be a productive, high-quality place to get closer to our customers and to discuss new technological advances in our product line, customer enhancements, and investments made in Latin America,” says Jay Ortiz, Vice President of Sales in Latin America. “We have an amazing line of products on display this year that directly reflects the interest of our current and potential customers, and the conversations we have with them.”

With a capacity for up to seven passengers, the Bell 429 is top of the line in light twin-engine helicopters and private transport in the world. The Bell 429's luxurious interior, named MAGnificent, features a passive noise reduction system called SILENS, and an In-Flight Entertainment Enhanced Lounge (I-FEEL), which offers a fully customizable touch screen system for entertainment, communication and management of flight information.

Customers have signed 380 letters of intent (LOI) worldwide for the Bell 505, and nearly 80 of them are from customers in Latin America. The Bell 505 is competitively priced and designed to offer the best combination of value, performance and technology available on the market.

The Bell 407GXP is an upgrade to Bell Helicopter's best-selling platform, the Bell 407, with added value through industry-leading performance, payload capacity and operating savings. There are more than 230 Bell 407s in Latin America, providing operational support for corporate transportation, security, and general/utility missions.

Bell Helicopter has a strong sales and service presence to meet customer needs, with more than 100 authorized customer service facilities worldwide, three of which are located in Brazil, as well as Bell Helicopter authorized rotor blade facilities.