EATS 2026 Wraps Up and Looks Ahead to a Bigger Venue

On the final day of EATS 2026 in Cascais, Vincent Brain, Managing Director of Halldale Group, reflects on this year’s summit and shares what comes next:

As we bring EATS 2026 to a close, it has been an honour to bring together the global training community: the world’s major airlines, technology providers and training academies.

This year has not been easy for our industry. High fuel prices have squeezed airline profitability and put pressure on routes. Despite that, we achieved a record attendance of more than 1,000 professionals.

Thanks to the participation of regulators such as EASA and other supporting bodies, we have raised the issues affecting airline safety and training directly with the people who make decisions on them. Those issues are now firmly on their radar.

We also heard from Airbus about global demand for new personnel. Over the next 20 years, our sector will need to recruit, train and retain 2.4 million people. In that time, global air traffic is expected to double, and we will go through a generational handover while technology continues to change.

At Halldale, we focus on the return we give our audience: a return on investment, a return on time and a return on experience. If we deliver that, our customers are happy and they come back. It is a simple strategy, but executing it well takes dedication.

So I am delighted to tell you that more than 85% of the exhibition space for next year’s event is already sold. We are moving to a bigger venue, the FIL – Feira Internacional de Lisboa. That shows how important EATS has become to our sector.

I would like to thank our sponsors, exhibitors, speakers and delegates, and of course the whole Halldale team, for being part of such a magnificent event.

I would especially like to thank three people for their energy and enthusiasm. First, Andy Smith, the founder of Halldale Media. Second, Captain Jacques Drappier, who has led our content and the Heads of Training meetings for the past 20 years. And third, Captain Diana Gomes da Silva, our local partner here in Portugal, who is responsible for so much of the groundwork behind this event.

Thank you all for your participation. We look forward to seeing you again at one of our events, whether in Europe, North America or Asia.

Vincent Brain
Managing Director, Halldale Group