Ponte de Sor, Portugal, Aug. 18, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portugal Air Summit, which was due to take place this year in Ponte de Sor, in the region of Portalegre, will not go ahead, as the organisers have decided to «take a break» and «reinvent the event», it was announced on Tuesday.
In a statement sent to the Lusa news agency, the Ponte de Sor local council and the Ponte de Sor Commercial and Industrial Association (ACIPS), organisers of the Portugal Air Summit, announced that the event «will take a break from its scheduled edition» this year, «marking the start of a new phase in the event's development».
When contacted by Lusa, the mayor, Rogério Alves, explained that «it is time to reinvent the event and the strategy for promoting the municipality's – and the entire region's – aeronautical cluster».
«The original aim was to put Ponte de Sor at the heart of the sector, and we achieved that. We even went beyond it, because we managed to put this small inland district on the world map of aviation, aeronautics and defence», said the mayor.
However, as «the context is different today and the aeronautical sector has grown very considerably, particularly thanks to Ponte de Sor's contribution», he emphasised that «it is time to take a break».
«It is a shame to have to make this decision, which is a difficult one», but in recent years, «other forums on aeronautics have emerged across the country and, as we do not want to hold an event merely out of tradition, but rather so that it adds value, we are taking this break and will seek to ensure the event evolves and improves», he emphasised.
Held every two years, the Portugal Air Summit, when it was established in 2017, was a pioneering event in Portugal, with the various editions taking place at Ponte de Sor Municipal Aerodrome.
«At a time when there were ‘virtually no forums dedicated to aviation, aeronautics, space and, later, defence', Ponte de Sor took the initiative to create a platform for debate, knowledge and networking» centred on those areas, the organisers noted in the press release.
And, edition after edition, the event «quickly brought together almost the entire national critical mass in these sectors, whilst also attracting growing international participation».
Over the course of the seven editions held to date, the statement notes, the Portugal Air Summit has become «one of the leading national platforms dedicated to aviation, aeronautics, space and defence».
The event has generated «more than €290 million in business opportunities» and attracted «over 300,000 visitors, 948 national and international speakers, and 553 exhibiting companies and organisations», said the organisers.
The economic impact generated for the region, which saw «around 15,000 overnight stays», is «estimated at €11.1 million», the organisers added.
Now, the two organisations intend to analyse the «best way to promote the brand and the region for the future», not least because, in recent years, «several events dedicated, either wholly or partly, to the same areas of activity» have emerged.
Some have «concepts inspired by the trajectory» of the Portugal Air Summit «and benefit from very different conditions» because they take place «in major urban centres, with unrivalled logistical, institutional and financial capabilities», the organisation emphasised.
Rogério Alves told Lusa that «there is saturation» due to the number of similar initiatives in the country, meaning that the «opportunity for the Portugal Air Summit to stand out» «has now been exhausted».
«For this reason, we felt it would not be appropriate to hold the Portugal Air Summit this year. This decision does not mark the end of the event; the brand is alive and well and remains part of the municipality's strategy», he added.
In the statement, the municipality and ACIPS promised that the event «will return when holding it represents, as it always has, a genuine added value for Ponte de Sor, for the sector and for the country».
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