Excursion to the International Aerospace Exhibition 2024 Berlin

The excursion to the ILA 2024 in Berlin, organised by the Aerospace Engineering Student Association of the University of Stuttgart, was a complete success. From 5 June to 8 June, 80 enthusiastic students travelled to Berlin to visit the ILA as trade visitors over two days.
We travelled from Stuttgart main station by ICE train, on which our group had reserved almost an entire carriage. After a train journey that went according to plan and a visit to the on-board bistro, we arrived at our destination on the afternoon of 5 June. After everyone had checked into the hostel, which was located just outside the city centre, and freshened up, the rest of the day was free for the participants to do as they pleased.
On the two main days of the excursion, 6 and 7 June, we visited the trade visitor days. Fortunately, the rather expensive tickets were sponsored by various companies, which kept the participation fee for the excursion within reasonable limits.
At the ILA, we had the opportunity to visit the stands of the major companies in the sector on both days. This gave us a closer look at Litef, OHB, Fraunhofer, MTU, the German Armed Forces, DLR, Liebherr, Diehl and Airbus. The exhibits were explained to us in more detail and we were shown what the company’s latest projects are. We were also able to ask lots of questions and make contacts for potential internships and dissertations. The goodie bags also filled up more and more.
Between the stand tours, we walked around the exhibition centre, talked to other company representatives and took a look at the aircraft on display, such as an A380. With the great weather, you just had to be careful not to get sunburnt (which didn’t always work out).
In addition to the technical aspects, there was also plenty of opportunity to socialise with each other. The excursion was an excellent opportunity to get to know each other better and to talk to other students.
The evenings after the visits were used to explore Berlin, try out the culinary diversity of Berlin and see the inside of a bar or two. After a long day at the trade fair, however, we were quite tired, which is why we slept well after the evening programme despite some of the hostels’ flaws.

On 8 June, we checked out in the morning, spent the morning in Berlin at our leisure and met back at the main station at 3 pm to travel back. This train journey also went well as far as Erfurt, but from there the train did not continue due to a fault. After some rescheduling and little drinking water from DB, we travelled (on a surprisingly empty train) to Frankfurt, only to wait again for a train that was an hour late. Finally, we arrived in Stuttgart with (only) 3 hours delay and the excursion was officially concluded.
In conclusion, the excursion to the ILA 2024 was a success (despite some inconveniences).