Global aviation’s Farnborough airshow yesterday opened amid a sweltering heat wave, with the sector aided by a modest recovery in air traffic and with Ukraine boosting defense budgets.
Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to flock to the five-day show, held southwest of London, as weather forecasters warn of scorching record temperatures in England.
“It’s going to be the hottest Farnborough ever, so if you are going there, take plenty of water, take a hat — and don’t be surprised if you see either very sweaty people or people in shorts,” said analyst Richard Evans at air transport data specialist Ascend by Cirium.
Photo: Bloomberg
The UK’s Met Office has issued a historic red warning for extreme heat, with southern England temperatures potentially exceeding 40°C yesterday or today for the first time.
Organizers have insisted the show must go on “as planned” and would provide water refill points, shaded areas and air-conditioning throughout exhibition halls.
This year’s event, one of the largest civilian and defense shows, is the first global aviation get-together since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“This is the first major global airshow for three years since Paris 2019,” Farnborough chief executive Gareth Rogers told reporters.
The biennial Farnborough show was canceled in 2020 as the COVID-19 health crisis grounded aircraft and ravaged the sector.
Global air traffic is gradually recovering and in May reached more than two-thirds of its pre-pandemic level, according to estimates from the International Air Transport Association.
However, that recovery has faced headwinds from rocketing inflation fueled by historically high energy prices and higher wages, while staff shortages constrain airports and spark flight cancelations.
At Farnborough, US titan Boeing Co and its European archrival Airbus SE are to battle for supremacy as they declare their latest multibillion-dollar jet orders.
The show would also zero in on green themes of decarbonization and sustainability, as many carriers seek to replace aging fleets with modern fuel-efficient aircraft that emit less carbon dioxide.
Farnborough visitors would be thrilled by air displays by the UK’s Red Arrows and South Korea’s Black Eagles, as well as the US-made F-35 stealth fighter.
Airbus and Boeing would also showcase their latest twin-aisle passenger aircraft, the A350-900 and the 777X.
Meanwhile, Russia’s war on Ukraine has sparked an upsurge in defense spending as nations seek to bolster armed forces.
“Anecdotally we are certainly seeing a greater interest in the defense element of the show,” Rogers said.
However, defense agreements are not announced at Farnborough, unlike commercial civil aviation deals.
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