Pilots Blog

Clouds over Europe, with sunny intervals

Despite the cloud of volcanic ash sweeping over much of Northern Europe, the Central Europe Private Aviation (CEPA) conference and exhibition will proceed as scheduled on 22/23 April. We anticipate some speakers and delegates will find the journey to Prague too arduous, but for the majority there is much to savour as the event will bring together many of the industry's leading personalities and commentators and will provide a platform for the CEPA association to announce further initiatives.

If anything, the events of the past few days have proved just how essential aviation is to the global economy and the massive impact on commerce when the world's airline fleet is grounded. The headlines in the media will go to stranded holidaymakers trying to return from Easter holidays, but the real cost will be in terms of lost business and particularly in the aviation industry. No sooner had the airlines seen some green shots than they were buried under a carpet of suffocating ash.

However, despite the dark plume of cloud over Europe there will be much to ponder at CEPA 2010, and for those that do make the journey to Prague there will be a host of networking events and inspiring presentations. To access the link for the full programme download go to:  http://www.miuevents.com/cepa-2010 or contact the organisers, MIU Events on +44 208 332 2211, email: adp@miuevents.com