ON TOUR: Farnborough International Airshow *

Green is the word.

Telling non-aviation friends you are off to an air show usually engenders a positive, envious response.  Not this year.  Hot tarmac, traffic, unprecedented extreme temperatures hitting 40 degrees is hardly conducive to comfort. Instead of enthusiasm there was sympathy Alison Chambers reports.

The incredulous temperatures just served to underline the biggest threat to aviation – climate change. In contrast to the brown, scorched grass around the show site, at Farnborough International Airshow 2022 Green was the word.

This was a global air show (trade event may be a better description with scarce flying – minus the Russians and Chinese) dominated by new names, innovations, in the halls and hospitality chalets.   Reaction Engines; Wisk; Deutsche Aircraft’ NEBOAir were at the show for the time.

Raytheon Technologies and sister companies including Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace hosted customers in a big chalet complex at the show entrance. Leonardo had an equally strong showing. It took over the sponsorship of the press centre from Boeing. Its Nespresso coffee was appreciated. In this hub it was great to reconnect with so many journalist friends tracking order announcements – not so many this year but significant nonetheless – like Delta Airlines’ $13.5bn order for 100 Boeing 737-10s, the largest Max series, plus options on 30 more.

Nothing beats face-to-face meets and the airing of ideas you just wouldn’t get on Teams and Zoom, everyone agreed.

The roar of the F-35 got everyone out of their seats in the air-conditioned chalets and the spectator area outside Hall 1.

The WeareFINN and Global Aerospace Forum sessions in Hall 1 and 4 were popular. Tim Clark from Emirates exited the Monday morning World Leaders’ Forum together with IATA CEO Willie Walsh to see outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson formally open the Show.

After three years in the cockpit, said an upbeat Boris Johnson, who shared his pleasure at having recently flown in a Typhoon at RAF Coningsby, he was ready to hand the controls to someone else – “don’t know who,” he quipped. He made a stop at UK Vertical Aerospace, one of the star attractions and climbed aboard its full scale four-seat air taxi mock-up.

Kicking off the Global Aerospace Forum sessions Guillame Faury, Airbus CEO, urged operators to make the move to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Farnborough Airport, now owned by Macquarie, reported a significant increase in requests for SAF refuellings when it offered SAF at the same price as Jet 1A for a trial two weeks. CEO Simon Geere backed the initiative to signal its intent as catalyst for change and to highlight the need to reduce the cost of SAF. He highlighted at a media lunch (prepared onsite by On Air Dining which also now runs the airport’s café) that its total emissions per air traffic movement are less than 13% of a typical regional airport.

Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps was in his comfort zone during his visit as a ppl and a current cabinet minister who knows something about aviation and air travel. He even made his own video from the show, sharing it on LinkedIn. 

He was powerless with the various disruptions that impacted travel that week, however. Notably, slower trains and cancellations owing to the heat, climate activist protestors blocking traffic on the M25 and an accident on the M3 diverting London-bound traffic via Woking. Corporates staying at The Aviator Hotel were smart. Companies took off there for inpromptu meetings and lunches in air-conditioned comfort. More could have been made of that gem, in retrospect.

Aviation Minister Robert Courts supported UK business aviation in the House of Commons on Monday evening, thanking members of the British Business General Aviation Association (BBGA) for their exceptional work during the pandemic.  “Your sector has a vitally important role to play realising connectivity ambitions and forging strategic links to foster trade and investment”, he said. He also urged companies to engage with the Aviation Skills Recruitment Platform which is now being morphed into a clearing house for the next generation under Talentview Aviation. It’s the first time there has been a holistic framework in place to attract young people into the industry, said Marc Bailey, BBGA CEO and it’s reaching out to colleges across the UK to train young people from Level 2 to Level 6/7 Master’s degree. “Most of us didn’t plan to be here from school – we got there accidently – and it’s all absorbing – imagine if it was planned”, said BBGA Vice Chair and CEO of SaxonAir, Alex Durand.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker took the opportunity to host two select media briefings on the hottest day. He shared that his airline has had to cut capacity by 30% on Heathrow services to comply with the 100k passengers a day cap.  (See Qatar Airways Farnborough in this week's BTN.)

As a Board member of Heathrow, he wasn’t vocally critical, but said the problem was the short notice of the request. He acknowledged interest in bringing in its own ground handling company at the airport to improve on the ground performance and create more UK jobs.  Too much talent has left the industry he exclaimed and workforce is a critical issue.

(Workforce was a dominant theme at the show with GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO Larry Culp conceding airlines are having to wait for spare engines and slower than usual heavy maintenance turnaround times. There are supply chain bottlenecks and shortages of materials and workers, resulting in the most challenging operating environment.)

Asked whether Qatar Airways will introduce a Premium Economy class – the answer is no. Seven of its eight A380s are back flying as the airline struggles with its partially grounded A350 fleet and Boeing 787 order delays. Yet Akbar Al Baker is no fan of the A380, describing the original order as “our worse decision”.

The airline doesn’t expect to make money as the official airline of the World Cup this November, but it will be fantastic for the brand – and it’s only 30 days, he reasoned.  The former Doha International Airport will re-open for third party charters and regional shuttle flights which FlyDubai, Oman Air and others will operate, he noted.  Qatar Airways will either drop or reduce services to some 30 destinations to release aircraft to carry fans from qualifying countries. If it needs any ACMI or supplementary lift it would access only from partner airlines, and its own timetable will be modified to remove the current ‘banks’ of flights, spreading capacity throughout the day to make it easier for special World Cup flights to secure a landing slot and gate.

During the briefing Akbar disclosed that Qatar’s MoU for 50 B737-10s had lapsed. Two days later in the Boeing chalet he confirmed a contract for 25. This looks likely to have replaced the 50-strong A321neo order which Airbus decided to cancel as part of its ongoing legal dispute related to the A350. Our hosts served us a traditional cream tea from bone china, perfectly cut sandwiches, and cold champagne, in air-conditioned comfort. None of us wanted to leave!

There were some notable changes to the show which optimised its App as the focal point for information. Farnborough staff manning the doors and stands didn’t seem to know where points of interest were and if you looked for the usual A, B and C lines etc chalets rows that had changed.

Many BTN readers will remember the sparkling days of Farnborough Show when there was a full and diverse display of aircraft. You’d walk into the strains of Robert Elms ‘Children’ and there would be an array of entertainment in the pavilions, excited commentary and rows of merchandise stands. That has all gone.

But let’s not forget we are newly out of a devastating, global pandemic.  As Farnborough International CEO Gareth Rogers stated in ADVANCE magazine ‘the aerospace industry has been hit so badly in the past two years now this is almost a celebration as it is a trade show.”

Many industry people stayed away this year not because of the previously publicised extreme heat but because they have just caught Covid, or in the middle of July they are on holiday.   Observers questioned that now it is more of a ‘trade’ vs ‘air’ show shouldn’t it be moved back to September. Especially now that the defence primes are using RIAT more for their networking. Saab Aircraft was a no-show exhibitor at Farnborough.

On Friday, busloads of students arrived for Pioneers of the Future Day.  Cadets, school children with their parents, under graduates. There was a lot on offer, including sessions on CV writing, advice on apprenticeships, hands on activities such as Xbox flight simulators, torch building and much more. As this show highlighted we desperately need the next generation to have a good perception of aviation and consider it as a promising career choice.

www.farnboroughairshow.com

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OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum

Mike Vines, Birmingham england

The first honest and amusing assessment of the show that I’ve read. I thought of you all in that dreadful heat and watched some of the flying display on my ‘Flightradar24’ app. I sort of wished I’d been there apart from having to suffer the heatwave. It was great to see the picture of you and Liz in your piece. Warmest regards to all. Mike