From the 20th to the 25th of July 2021 the 15th International Aviation & Space Salon (MAKS) took place under some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable. The current global epidemiological situation regarding Covid-19 with its high infection rates, especially in the Moscow region, made holding the biennial event something akin to a kind of Russian roulette. However, with a formal decree issued by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, organisers received the go-ahead to hold the expo, an event enormously important for Russia’s domestic economy. Strict entry conditions were set shortly before the start of the show with every visitor having to show a negative PCR test or present a digital vaccination certificate prior to entry. As a result, the number of visitors that attended MAKS (135,000, according to official figures) cannot be compared to previous events, such as in 2019 when 578,800 spectators were in attendance

Many spectators followed MAKS online via live stream, although unfortunately for most foreign visitors MAKS 2021 was simply not accessible at all. This also had a massive impact on the press representatives who were normally present in large numbers. Of the officially accredited journalists and photographers expected to attend (according to the organisers there were 2,600!) only a handful were actually present. From a purely business perspective however, MAKS 2021 far exceeded expectations. By the end of the six-day event, business deals and contracts with a value of 265 billion rubles (approx. 3.28 billion CHF) had been signed, a very respectable result considering the current global economic situation. Thus, business deals conducted at MAKS 2021 even exceeded the benchmark set by the previous event. The success of an expo cannot however be demonstrated just by monetary figures alone. Good organisation and a top programme are just as important as any eagerly awaited news from the aviation industry.