Aviation Salon History

The history of Aviasalon is inextricably linked with the history of the formation of high-tech industries in the Russian Federation.

1991-1992

203 companies from 11 countries
were represented at Mos Air Show 1992,
the event was attended by 300,000 guests

This decision was made in 1991 by a commission established under the Ministry of Aviation Industry of the USSR. Soon the coordinating council and directorate of the exhibition were established. A legal entity, Aviasalon Limited Liability Partnership, was established to resolve organizational issues. Registered on February 14, 1992, the company was headed by an outstanding designer and organizer of the aviation industry, laureate of the Lenin Prize, Yuri Nagaev.

The first show with international participants Mos Air Show 1992 was held in the city of Zhukovsky in the vicinity of Moscow on August 11–16. The event was a triumph for the Russian aviation industry and drew a great response.

1993-1999

The site of M.M. Gromov
Flight Research Institute in Zhukovsky
was chosen as a single MAKS venue.

Due to the success achieved, MAKS 93 was held in 1993. The event supported at the highest level, was held at three venues at once. The first International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS was successfully held and announced its intention to take a firm position in the calendar of global aerospace exhibitions.

Disputes over where the air show should take place continued even on the eve of MAKS 93. But in 1993, Russian President Boris Yeltsin approved the territory of the FRI as a single venue for international air shows, appreciating all the advantages of the site of the M. M. Gromov Flight Research Institute. The MAKS schedule was set too – the event was to be held biannually, and in odd- numbered years only.

The air shows of the second half of the 1990s reflected the situation in the aviation industry: most of the exhibits came from the Soviet backlog, at best, there were deeply modernized aircraft and helicopters. However, this transitional period gave the official organizers the experience of working in the most difficult conditions and became the foundation for future achievements.

2000-2009

Over the years, 17 aerobatic teams
from nine countries of the world have become
participants of MAKS salons

MAKS rapidly increased its scale - the number of exhibitors and full-scale models of equipment. The number of exhibition visitors also increased. In order to provide participants and guests of the salon with comfortable conditions, the Aviasalon company launched a large-scale program for updating the exhibition infrastructure. They built utility systems, updated the road network, and erected new pavilions. The possibilities for developing infrastructure have largely increased due to the establishment of the Transport and Exhibition Complex "Russia", on the site of which MAKS salons have been held since then.

In the 00s, Aviasalon expanded the scope of its activities: if earlier the company's portfolio included only MAKS salons, then later, having gained experience in holding mass entertainment events, the company's team managed to implement several projects related to the organization of air festivals. The First International Festival of Aerobatic Teams was held at the site in Zhukovsky in 2004. This period also turned out to be the most intense in terms of performances by foreign aerobatic teams and visits of the foreign Air Force delegations.

2010-2017

For the first time in Russia,
Aviasalon presented an unprecedented show
featuring "Invincible and Legendary"
armored vehicles.

New decade means new projects. The Aviasalon company descended from heaven to earth: a new project was launched in close cooperation with the Rostec State Corporation, Engineering Technologies Forum (TVM), presenting civil developments. In 2012 and 2014 in addition to the TVM forum, there also was Oboronexpo, an exhibition of weapons and military equipment. In addition to the large-scale exhibition program, the participants remembered the events for conferences and round tables that brought together tens of thousands of specialists from various industries. The organizers of the events did not forget about the patriotic education of the youth either. The “Invincible and Legendary” military-patriotic program and “Overdrive” auto-air show became the components of the TVM forums.

A unique track was made at the site of TVK "Russia" to demonstrate the capabilities of ground vehicles, both wheeled and tracked. The spectator stands were located nearby. Thus, for the first time in Russian history, we designed an infrastructure that allows one to see the exhibition pavilions in one place, and immediately get acquainted with full-scale models of equipment both in statics and in dynamics. The flight program complemented the opportunities for displaying advanced models of aircraft.

2018-2021

In just 30 years, 8.11 million people from 90 countries
of the world have visited the Aviasalon events,
and the number of MAKS participating companies
has quadrupled.

Until 2018, the projects of Aviasalon were inextricably linked with the exhibition complex in Zhukovsky, Moscow Region. However, in that memorable year, the company took part in the organization of two major events at once: in August, Kazan hosted the “I Choose the Sky” holiday, the organizers of which were provided with advisory support primarily by Aviasalon employees. And the "Hydroaviasalon", held in Gelendzhik, thanks to the efforts of the Aviasalon team, has reached a whole new level. In addition to the traditional exhibition and conference, it has become the venue for the Russian Aquabike Championship, the children's stage of the National Sailing League, and the stage of the aerobatics competition for the MAKS Cup.

The following year also brought innovations: the opening of the fourteenth MAKS exhibition preceded the aviation photography exhibition in Zaryadye Park, that was very successful. In fact, the fourteenth salon was held with record figures in terms of the number of visitors and richness of the flight program. The aviation fans remember it for a spectacular final of the MAKS Cup aerobatics competition on single-engine piston aircraft, the sports and entertainment flyboard show "Born to Fly" and the tournaments for the MAKS Cup in football and tennis.

The organizer approached the fifteenth anniversary International Aviation and Space Salon with ambitious plans and developments, but, alas, the pandemic impacted on the event format. MAKS 2021 could not boast of a large number of spectators, but became the largest in terms of other indicators: thanks to the hybrid format of participation, the events of its business program gathered a record number of participants, and the world premieres of the MS-21-310, Il-114- 300, LMS-901 Baikal, LTA Checkmate and others made MAKS a trendsetter in aviation.