Supersonic flight, automation and space tech cleared to land at Farnborough Airshow

World's largest aircraft makers and airlines will rub shoulders this week with those innovating around the future of flight and Net Zero air transport

An Airbus SE A350 aircraft lands after an aerial display at the Farnborough International Airshow. Getty Images

Sustainability, innovation and space technology are among the themes at this year's Farnborough Airshow, one of the major events in the aviation industry's calendar, which begins on Monday.

There will be a focus on small electric aircraft and urban flight, plus a return for supersonic aviation.

Having recently completed the construction of its super factory, Boom Supersonic will be presenting the latest developments for its Overture aircraft, which the company says will usher in a new era of super fast air travel.

As such, among Boom’s special guests at Farnborough will be former chief Concorde pilot for British Airways, Mike Bannister, who flew more hours on Concorde than any other pilot.

Also on display will be Windracers Ultra-UAV, an unmanned freight-delivering drone capable of flying a 100kg payload for a 1,000km. Built to land on dirt, grass, ice or tarmac, Windracers call the aircraft "the Jeep of the skies".

Real deals

The large companies are still expected to make their mark, although embattled Boeing has already said it will tailor its presence at Farnborough as it focuses on strengthening safety and quality and meeting customer commitments.

"We have reduced our commercial airplanes display and flight demonstrations at the show, and will focus on new technology, sustainability, security and services solutions," said Brendan Nelson, president of Boeing Global.

The show, which is a biennial event alternating with the Paris Airshow, brings together senior figures from the aerospace and defence sectors for a week of sales, deal-making and aeronautical displays.

At last year's Paris Airshow, more than 1,000 aircraft orders were announced across the larger manufacturers Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, and ATR.

At the last Farnborough International Airshow in 2022, the big plane makers did more than $50 billion worth of business, although it wasn't a great show for Airbus, which bagged only 29 orders during the week.

Some say the Airbus figure should include the 56 A320neos that Easyjet ordered, but that deal was not done at the Air Show itself and was more a case of shareholders giving the green light to a previously arranged deal.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of Boeing's deals at Farnborough in 2022 involved the revamped 737 Max. In fact, 737 Max deals outstripped all other Boeing model orders combined.

On show

Even so, Boeing's F-15QA fighter jet will be performing an aerial display and, on the commercial front, a Qatar Airways 787-9 Dreamliner will be on the ground.

Airbus will be showcasing its A321XLR aircraft, the latest offering in its successful A321 family, which has effectively twice the range of the original models from the early 1990s.

Airbus already has 550 orders for the XLR and there could be more to come during Farnborough week.

The Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air already has 47 XLRs on order, and is hoping that the aircraft, which can carry more than 240 passengers, will open up new routes in the Middle East and Asia.

Meanwhile Rolls-Royce, whose Trent engines power both Boeing and Airbus models, is looking forward to an active Farnborough, not least because Airbus is selling more A350s than ever.

Supply woes

One talking point at Farnborough will be the delivery delays being incurred across the industry, as supply chain issues, worker turnover and other market turbulence continue to plague the aerospace industry years after the Covid pandemic.

Boeing warned recently that deliveries for its 737 Max due in 2025 and 2026 could face yet more delays. Meanwhile, Airbus has also alerted its customers to potential delays over the next two years.

"There's an imbalance of supply and demand in the market at the moment," said Ewan McDonald, senior vice president with Rolls-Royce.

"We look forward to announcing some deals at Farnborough," he added.

Recently, Norwegian Air Shuttle and the German carrier Lufthansa said the delivery delays from Boeing were starting to affect their growth prospects.

However, Korean Air is thought to be close to finalising a deal to buy two dozen Boeing 777X aircraft, which the company could announce at Farnborough. The airline placed an order for 33 A350 jets from Airbus back in March.

The Brazilian plane maker Embraer is set to debut its new E-Freighter, the E190F, which is a passenger jet that has been converted into a cargo aircraft to meet the growing global demand for freight posed by the expansion of e-commerce.

Future flying solutions

One of the newest and fastest growing sectors in global aviation keen to show off its wares at Farnborough is the electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL).

eVTOLs are usually designed to take between two to six passengers and look and fly like helicopters. Essentially, they are flying taxis and for many they are the future of urban travel.

"Flying taxis are going to happen," said Benedikt Kloss, associate partner with McKinsey and company.

"The question for me at the moment is when it’s going to happen, not if."

Flying taxis come under the banner of Urban Air Mobility (UAM), which itself is a subset of Advanced Air Mobility, which covers everything from drones to eVTOLs to airships.

The whole sector has been rising to such a degree within the aerospace industry that its going to hold its own forum, the Global Urban and Advanced Air Summit, during the Farnborough week.

eVTOL makers exhibiting at Farnborough will include Vertical Aerospace, which is keen to show the potential of its VX4 aircraft, Hyundai's air taxi division Supernal which will be showcasing its new S-A2 and Lilium, which last week signed a sales agreement with Saudia for 50 of its vertical take-off electric jets with an option to buy 50 more.

Plenty of Space

But the Farnborough Airshow is not just about taking to the skies - once again, it'll go much further than that with the Space Zone, an area dedicated to innovative companies working within the burgeoning space sector.

Dozens of companies will be exhibiting their space innovations at Farnborough, from component manufacturers, to guidance systems makers to materials specialists and communications experts.

For example, Space Engine Systems will be showing its plans for its HELLO series of piloted airplanes, which are engineered for ultra-high-speed travel, capable of exceeding Mach 5, which would mean a journey from Paris to New York would take 90 minutes.

Farnborough Airshow through the years - in pictures

The aircraft are also designed to transport payloads to orbit and beyond, including the moon.

In addition, Scotland-based Missiles and Space Batteries will be showcasing its thermal batteries for use in space launcher actuators and satellite dispenser systems.

The success of the Space Zone in recent years has spurred the organisers to create a stand-alone event, the Farnborough International Space Show, which will take place in March next year.