With now only a few days to go until the opening of the 2016 Farnborough Airshow, we take a look at what visitors to this year’s show can expect to see displaying in the air, on the ground, and throughout the halls and chalets across the site.
On the Ground –
Pavilions and International Presence: This year’s exhibitors will have more of an international flavour than ever before. Around 70% of all exhibitors are international, with 36% of all exhibitors new to Farnborough. 22 nations will be hosting pavilions at the show from Europe, the US, Canada, South America, and the Far East. The delegation programme at the show will also be a particular highlight – with 100 military delegations from around 54 countries set to attend and meet with companies and businesses. In addition, the highly popular civil delegation programme will return in 2016, with 26 delegations visiting – double the number in 2014.
Meet the Buyer: Building on the success of previous years, ‘meet the buyer’ gives companies a unique environment to speak directly to Primes, Tier 1s and other large companies who are actively seeking future suppliers. This year is set to be bigger than ever – with 45 buyers and over 170 suppliers set to attend this event.
Futures Day: Futures Day takes place on the Friday of the airshow, and is where a dedicated programme of activities and events takes place across the site for over 6,500 young people. Events include simulator challenges, quizzes and activities in the Innovation Zone, CVs and careers advice talks – and the exciting first public appearance of Major Tim Peake since his return from Space – the first British ESA astronaut, and first Briton to perform a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS).
Cargo Village: New for 2016 is the dedicated Cargo Village – where a 747-8F and An-124-100 from Volga-Dnepr Airlines will be parked up, demonstrating live cargo loading techniques. These demonstrations will take place throughout the trade week and include loading of a GE90 engine, as well as the British ‘Bloodhound ‘Supersonic Car. http://thecargovillage.com/
In the Air (and on Static Display) –
F-35 Lightning II: The highlight of the flying display throughout the week will undoubtedly be the debut Farnborough appearance of the F-35 Lightning II. After crossing the Atlantic last week, the F35B variants will fly in from their base at RAF Fairford, displaying their unique ‘hover’ vertical landing technique to the crowds. Over 500 UK companies contribute to the F35 programme, with key suppliers including Rolls-Royce, which produces the aircraft’s innovative ‘LiftFan’. The F35 has performed its validation display at Farnborough this week, with a sneak preview of what to expect below:
Airbus Line Up: 2014 saw Airbus display its impressive line-up of aircraft in a spectacular ‘one by one’ take off routine. 2016 is set to see this routine return to the show, with Airbus displaying the A380, A350 and A400M throughout the week. The A400M’s display is particularly impressive, as it performs wing over manoeuvres to demonstrate the agility of the RAF’s newest military transport aircraft. Here is its display back in 2014:
Single Aisle Showdown: FIA2016 also represents an exciting first in the battle for single aisle supremacy. The two most successful selling aircraft of all time, the A320neo and 737MAX, will be going head to head and both attend the show, representing around 7,000 in aircraft orders between them. The 737MAX represents the first public appearance of the aircraft outside of the US, and A320neo is displaying for the first time since it began deliveries. In addition, the Bombardier CSeries is also scheduled to make its Farnborough debut after its first customer delivery last week – representing the UK’s innovation and ingenuity in wing design, engineering and manufacture.
Samba Showcase: Brazilian manufacturer Embraer are also set to make a strong appearance at this year’s show – with its newest range of military, commercial and business jet aircraft on display. The KC390 military transport aircraft will be on static display throughout the week – an aircraft which has 28 orders for the Brazilian Air Force and over 60 orders from other South American customers. The new Embraer E2 regional jet is also set to appear at the show, only a few months since its first flight. Finally, Embraer will also debut the Legacy 500 business jet – a year since it first received European validation.
The airshow is set to be an exciting mix of new business, supplier meetings, events, order announcements and flying displays – as the world of Aerospace and Aviation descends on Farnborough for one week only!
