EAA AirVenture Oshkosh closes with a record 734,000 visitors and $257 million economic impact
The world's biggest fly-in convention set attendance, exhibitor, and fundraising records in 2026, underlining its weight as an aviation trade venue as much as an airshow.
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh closed its 2026 edition as the largest in the fly-in convention's history, drawing an estimated 734,000 attendees to Wittman Regional Airport over the seven-day run — surpassing the previous record of 704,000 set in 2025.
The Experimental Aircraft Association reported more than 10,000 aircraft arrived for the event, with Wittman Regional Airport alone logging 15,527 operations, an average of roughly 101 takeoffs and landings per hour during open hours. A total of 2,851 showplanes were on static and flight-line display, spanning vintage aircraft, homebuilts, warbirds and seaplanes. Visitors travelled from 98 countries.
On the business side, AirVenture also set a record for commercial exhibitor presence, with 1,021 companies on site — a signal of the event's weight as a trade and sourcing venue for the aviation industry, not just a spectator airshow. EAA said the week generated an estimated $257 million in economic impact across the five-county Oshkosh region.
The EAA Aviation Foundation's annual fundraising dinner, The Gathering, also set a record, raising $2.85 million to support aviation education programs. EAA chairman and CEO Jack Pelton said the organization's goal each year is "not to chase numbers but to showcase EAA's community" and aviation's broader impact.
