Aviation is excited about the return of the Farnborough Airshow – AFR

Aviation’s biggest players are arriving at the prestigious Farnborough Airshow next week, buoyed by the travel sector’s nascent recovery from the Covid pandemic and as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine boosts defense spending.

Farnborough, south-west of London and one of the largest civil and defense trade shows alongside Dubai and Paris, is buzzing with anticipation as the aerospace sector revs up its engines for the first time since the devastation caused by the pandemic.

At the same time, however, the industry faces headwinds from skyrocketing inflation, fueled by historically high energy prices and higher wages, while staff shortages hamper airports.

At Farnborough, US titan Boeing and its European arch-rival Airbus will take to the skies to show off their latest hi-tech wares – and join in their traditional dogfight for multi-billion dollar jet orders.

“This is the first major global airshow in three years since Paris 2019 and as such there is definitely more excitement and excitement than I have seen about Farnborough before,” airshow chief Gareth Rogers told AFP.

“People are looking forward to getting back together and really looking forward to seeing each other. I think it’s going to be a bit of a party.”

Civil aerospace has been energized this year by the return of international travel following the lifting of Covid restrictions.

Farnborough was canceled in 2020 due to the deadly coronavirus pandemic and was last held in 2018.

An estimated 80,000 trade visitors will flock to the five-day event, which begins on Monday and opens to the public on Friday.

The show this year will also focus on green themes such as decarbonization and sustainability as the sector eye future electric and hydrogen-powered flying.

Farnborough visitors will be amazed by the dizzying flying displays of Britain’s Red Arrows – and South Korea’s Black Eagles too.

Other eye-catching aircraft taking to the skies include the US-made F-35 stealth fighter jet and Turkish drones, while Boeing’s unmanned electric air taxi will make its European debut.

Meanwhile, Airbus and Boeing will showcase their latest twin-aisle passenger aircraft, the A350-900 and the 777X.

A year after the last Farnborough airshow in 2018, Airbus halted production of its superjumbo A380 as demand for the double-decker jet plummeted.

The planemaker nonetheless predicts that the number of planes worldwide will double over the next 20 years on a post-Covid travel boom and rising demand for fuel-efficient jets.

Boeing, which will publish its outlook at Farnborough, is trying to rekindle the fate of its troubled MAX jet after two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has put aerospace in the spotlight as governments around the world seek to boost the capabilities of their armed forces.

Businesses from Russia have been banned from Farnborough due to the conflict.

“The war in Ukraine — it put defense in focus,” Rogers said, noting that unlike major trade deals, defense deals were not typically unveiled at the show.

“Anecdotally, we’re certainly seeing a greater interest in the defense element of the show – it’s becoming a bigger and bigger part of this event,” he added.

Rogers lamented that civil aviation’s recovery was being hampered by forces beyond its control.

“I definitely feel like the recovery is underway,” added Rogers.

“The problem is how fast it can go, and I think the staffing and staffing constraints are probably slowing that down more than the industry would like.”

Airlines are also suffering from strikes as workers demand higher wages amid rising inflation.

Global air transport is on track to become profitable again in 2023 after two pandemic-stricken years, the International Air Transport Association predicts.

The sector has been reeling from the pandemic, with passenger numbers plummeting by more than half.

According to IATA estimates, airlines lost nearly $200 billion in two years, forcing them to shed thousands of jobs.