HISTORIC PAST

THE ILA BERLIN AIR

Show (Internationale Luft-und Raumfahrtausstellung – or simply ILA) claims to be the world’s oldest air show, said to have started in 1909. Similar to the air shows in Le Bourget (Paris) and Farnborough (London), the Berlin Air Show is a major trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries with a public air show. ILA is synonymous with tradition and innovation and claims to be the longest-standing and most firmly established air show in the world. The history of the ILA began with the International Airship Exhibition, which took place from July 10 to October 17, in Frankfurt/Main. Over a period of 100 days 500 exhibitors displayed airships, aeroplanes and balloons which fascinated 1.5 million visitors. Following its successful debut in 1909, in 1912 and 1928 the ILA was held in Berlin. After 1945, when the Allied Control Council banned Germany from developing and producing aircraft, ten years elapsed before the country was able to regain control of its own airspace. On April 1, 1955, following the company’s relaunch, Lufthansa took to the skies again. The foundations had now been laid for the civil and military aviation industry to be rebuilt. On May 5, 1955, the German armed forces (Bundeswehr) came into being. It was at this time that the era of space travel began. In the mid-1950s, parallel with these industrial developments, ILA experienced a revival. It was subsequently held for more than 30 years at Langenhagen Airport in Hannover.

In 1992, 64 years after it last took place in Berlin, the ILA Aerospace Exhibition returned to its original venue. Since then