Aeroplanes showcased at the Aero South Africa 2024 at Wonderboom National Airport.
Image: Supplied / City of Tshwane
Messe Frankfurt South Africa confirmed that its agreement with the City of Tshwane to host the annual AERO South Africa Trade Exhibition at Wonderboom National Airport was not renewed after the 2024 edition.
The event, held annually in July since 2019, will now relocate to Lanseria International Airport, where it will be hosted from June 25 to 27, 2025.
Neil Piper, the company's head of marketing and content, said the decision to relocate the exhibition was made after a thorough internal review and strategic planning for the event's future development.
"To clarify, the agreement was not terminated prematurely but concluded in accordance with its original terms following the 2024 edition. The application for a renewal beyond 2024 was voluntarily withdrawn by Messe Frankfurt South Africa," he said.
He said the decision to relocate the event was informed by the company’s long-term vision for the continued expansion and positioning of AERO South Africa as the leading general aviation event on the continent.
“There were no unresolved contractual disputes between Messe Frankfurt and the City of Tshwane. Our partnership over the past four editions was highly valued, and we remain grateful for the city’s support during this time. In particular, we appreciated the proactive engagement and collaboration of the city’s Economic Development Department, the communications team, the marketing team, the Mayor’s Office, the city manager’s office, Tshwane Economic Development Agency, as well as the local ward councillor,” he said.
Municipal spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the contract, based on a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), expired at the end of July 2024.
He added that there was no contractual dispute, as the three-year MoA simply expired, and Messe Frankfurt chose to partner with Lanseria Airport instead.
Mashigo said: “We acknowledge the impact of AERO South Africa in the economy of Tshwane such as job creation, tourism, trade and destination marketing. However, the city has signed other initiatives with partners like Airshow and Military Conference at the Wonderboom with a similar impact.”
He noted that the Aero SA Exhibition can't be replicated since its rights are privately owned by Messe Frankfurt.
However, he said, the city has partnered with private entities to host a new airshow and a military conference at Wonderboom Airport.
According to a recent council report, in September 2024, the company submitted an "expression of interest" to sign a new MoA with the city to continue hosting the trade event at Wonderboom.
The same report noted that it was initially unclear if Messe Frankfurt officially informed the city about the relocation, given that negotiations for a new MoA were ongoing and marketing efforts for the event at the airport had already been put in place since July 2024.
On January 17, 2025, the company sent an email notice to the coordinating department formally withdrawing from hosting the trade exhibition, according to a council report.
The notice of withdrawal, the report said, didn't specify reasons for relocating the event from Wonderboom to Lanseria, leaving the Roads and Transport Department unaware of the motivations behind the decision.
Piper said: “We acknowledge the city’s comments and can confirm that our decision was communicated in a timely and professional manner. We remain open to continued engagement with the city should future opportunities arise.”
rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za