Portugal Air Summit has a budget of over 900 thousand euros and “exceeded” expectations – Observer
This year’s edition of the Portugal Air Summit, in Ponte de Sor (Portalegre), outlines a budget of more than 900 thousand euros, mostly supported by the municipalityaround 35% belong to other public and private entities.
Speaking to the Lusa agency, the mayor of Ponte de Sor, Hugo Hilário (PS), indicated that the 6th edition of the Portugal Air Summit, which ends on Saturday at the city’s municipal airfield, counts on the presence of “about 230 exhibitors”.
According to the mayor, this year’s edition “exceeded all expectations” This is a project that has “grown”, which is recognized as “from the country” and called by many agents in the sector as the “biggest aeronautical summit” in the Iberian Peninsula.
Despite this, Hugo Hilário defended that, in the future, it is necessary to “define our own instruments, redefine strategies” with regard to the “sustainability” of the event.
“That is, if it is a country event, we also have to share responsibilities from the point of view of sustainability”, he said.
An event of this dimension is heavy for the event’s dimension, having several partners, both from the public and private point of view, that have guaranteed us an increase in permanent sustainability with regard to the event’s budget, where we have guaranteed close to 35%”, he added.
The mayor wants, in the future, to increase” the participation of third parties and “arrange an instrument” so that, when they think about future editions, they are “completely sure” that they will have financial support for their realization.
Only has [o evento] this way because the municipality’s financial capacity allows it to be done”, he warned.
The Portugal Air Summit ends on Saturday at the Ponte de Sor Municipal Aerodrome, with a fun program, free and open to the public.
Visitors will “see up close” planes and pilots, with special emphasis on the World War II fighter plane, “Spitfire”, present in Portugal for the second time in 50 years, or TAP’s civil passenger plane, the A321neo. , known for its “special RETRO paint (CS-TJR)”.
The times of the Air Race Championship, which will run “in chicane” to reach the best possible, another of the “attractives” that the organization has to offer.
In the evening, there will be a music and pyrotechnics show, called “At night, a music and pyrotechnics show will take place, where two formed aeroplanes, with LEDs in the pyrotechnics on the wings, will perform a choreography.
Then, art and technology will also be present, with 100 autonomous drones “painting the skies” with formations, which tell “passionate” stories, according to the organization.
To close, a fashion show is announced, with 10 airlines parading in their uniforms.