History

In 2001, the network is founded as “Initiative for Aviation in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region”
In 2002, for the first time, Hamburg hosted the Aircraft Interiors Expo, the world’s largest trade fair for aircraft interior design.
In 2007, the famous Crystal Cabin Award for outstanding design was presented as part of the Aircraft Interiors Expo.
In 2008, Hamburg Aviation won the Leading-Edge Cluster competition organised by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, benefiting from wide-ranging research support.
In 2009, the Center of Applied Aeronautical Research (ZAL) and the Hamburg Centre of Aviation Training (HCAT) were founded, two institutions that secure Hamburg’s number one position in research and teaching. In the same year, the European Aerospace Cluster Partnership EACP is being founded in Hamburg

In 2012, the cluster’s umbrella brand Hamburg Aviation is officially unveiled at ILA Berlin
In 2014, Hamburg Aviation receives the GOLD Label for Cluster Management Excellence by the European Commission, thereby ranking as one of the Top 40 clusters in Europe.
In 2016, the aviation cluster Hamburg was one of the winners of the "Landmarks in the Land of Ideas” competition.
In 2020 During the Covid-19 pandemic, Hamburg Aviation helped shape the largest funding program in the history of the aviation cluster to combat the negative effects of the pandemic on the region’s aviation industry. This resulted in flagship projects such as the Hydrogen Aviation Lab and the GATE Green Aviation Technologies funding program.
In 2023 Hamburg Aviation is re-certified as a GOLD Label cluster