Farnborough Airshow Recap

That’s almost a wrap on another Farnborough week. While the show has one more day to go, the bulk of the news updates have now been shared. Yes, there were still some major aircraft orders and placements, but one big takeaway, two medium-sized takeaways and one small, but not insignificant, takeaway stood out to me from Farnborough this week: more electric flight, more engines, more companies moving into new markets and a potentially game-changing piece of kit for economy cabins everywhere.

1.       It’s electrifying

Forgive the Grease pun and the subsequent attempt at a John Travolta voice it may have prompted in your head, but electric flight truly moved out of the exhibition hall, onto the tarmac and into the air at Farnborough this year.

Vertical Aerospace carried out not only the show’s first eVTOL flying display, but its first public eVTOL transition flight, demonstrating the aircraft’s amazing ability to move from a vertical, helicopter-style take-off into wing-borne flight and back again for landing.

BETA also took to the skies with its tartan-clad aircraft, following Loganair’s agreement for five CX300s. If and when the aircraft enter service as planned, Loganair could become the first European airline to introduce a commercial electric-aircraft fleet.

Eve Air Mobility announced LOIs for up to 46 eVOTL aircraft, with up to 30 for Moov, targeting tourism and regional mobility in Cabo Verde (somewhere everyone knows now after the World Cup, if they didn’t already), and up to 16 for Shearwater Global Capital, bringing in an aviation finance dimension.

Just before the show, SLI Aerospace and e-Smart announced an agreement under which SLI would own up to 20 BETA CX300 and A250 aircraft, with e-Smart operating them under lease agreements.

Taking these developments together, it feels as if the electric aviation story is maturing, moving from speculative OEM commitments to customer placement and, increasingly, familiar operating-lease structures. Perhaps it’s fair to say that the sector is starting to move beyond venture-funded development and towards becoming a fully-fledged, financeable asset class.

2.       Engine, Engine Number 877

By the end of day 3, my count was 877 firm engine orders across about 12 disclosed deals.

I haven’t conducted a scientific comparison with previous years, but it certainly felt as though engine-related announcements were giving the traditional aircraft-order battle a run for its money. The largest was BOC Aviation’s commitment for up to 300 LEAP engines.

And it wasn’t only about the engine orders themselves. There were preferred-engine selections, long-term service agreements, MRO contracts and partnerships covering everything from shop visits and component repairs to spare-engine leasing and new maintenance capacity.

3.       Winds of change

It’s not always about the orders, sometimes it’s about how the industry is changing around them. Azorra announced they were entering the freighter market for the first time, while on the flip side, The Helicopter Company announced its move into fixed-wing business aviation. As more companies broaden their horizons, who will be next?

4.       Sweet dreams are made of this

And the coolest thing I saw all was has to be those Emirate U-Dream headrests!

If I were running a travel-pillow company reliant on forgetful travellers like me buying one at the airport before boarding, I would be researching alternative product lines before I go out of business!

Next stop on the airshow calendar for me is the Fingal Rush Air Display. While there are unlikely to be any major orders announcement, I can’t wait to introduce the Toddler to the amazing flying displays on show.