The Farnborough International Airshow is upon us once again and it has returned in style. Beginning on Monday, 18th July 2022 and running through to Friday, 22nd July 2022, expect to see plenty of news from the aviation world as orders, rumours and other interesting news emerges from one of the largest aviation events in the world.
Split into four main categories in this thread, news from the commercial, military and developmental sectors will be covered, alongside links that will bring you to various articles with more information. The final category will be the rumour category, where highly publicised articles with no official confirmation from either operator or manufacturer will be placed in.
Exhibitor List
No airshow is complete without planes being present. This airshow being no exception, there are too many to cover in detail, however, here are some of the headlining aircraft in both the commercial and military sectors.
Boeing 737 MAX 10
The longest of the Boeing 737 MAX family, this plane has had nothing but trouble in recent months. Certification issues and delays among other delays throughout the groundings mean that at the earliest, we’ll only see the certifications at the end of this year, let alone commencing deliveries.
Despite that, the B737 MAX 10 might steal the show with some rumoured orders from major legacy carriers that might soon be announced.
Boeing 777-9X
As you might have seen in the image above, the B777-9X will be the main star of the show. Boeing’s latest and newest flagship, quite like other recent planes, have been nothing but delays, trouble and groundings.
This won’t be the first airshow for the B777-9X this year, as it has spent a week in Singapore earlier this year at the Singapore Airshow. That said, it has been a quiet year for the flagship so far, with few, if any orders being placed, with a lot of news surrounding orders mainly being conversions to other types, or surrounding the yet-to-be B777-8F variant.
Airbus A350-900
A look into the future, while being the theme of this editing of the Farnborough Airshow, is also the theme that Airbus is playing nicely into. Airbus will be bringing their A350-900 instead of their A380-800. This is the first major airshow to not feature the type and though it is something that’s already well known, the future is in the much smaller and more efficient A350-900.
With orders potentially being on the table, who could possibly be making a move with the European manufacturer?
Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 and Boeing 777-300ER
Qatar Airways are nothing short of style. This time, at the Farnborough Airshow, they’ve brought along two widebodies of their own. Their fallout with Airbus in recent months is nothing but extraordinary, but could we see any order come from them at this airshow?
Embraer E2
Embraer’s E2 has long been their regional competitor to Airbus and Bombardier’s A220 series. Orders for the type is often few and far between, but that isn’t stopping the Brazillian manufacturer from putting on a show in Farnborough.
Bringing in not one but two of their Embraer E2, both the E190-E2 and E195-E2 will be on display across all five days of the show.
United States Air Force
While news surrounding the Farnborough Airshow primarily relates to the commercial sector, this is also an opportunity for the military to bring their latest innovations to exhibit. The United States Air Force is no exception, with their F-15E, F16C, F-35A, C-130H and CH-47 Chinook being the most iconic to participate.
Gulfstream Private Jets
One of the most exciting developments in the world of private jets is the brand new Gulfstream G800. Having made its first transatlantic crossing and flying from Savannah to Farnborough in just under 7 hours, this jet not only flies far, but also does so ridiculously fast with a cruise speed of up to mach 0.925.
On top of that, for a few years now, Gulfstream has had a sizeable operation at Farnborough, having opted to open a service centre at the airport in 2020, with well over 200 employees based there. Being able to accommodate up to 13 of their largest aircraft, it’s no wonder that they have brought along their G500, G600, G650ER and G700.
Turkish Aerospace Industries
With 9 aircraft being brought to the Farnborough Airshow and 2 planes flying from Monday through to Friday, Turkish Aerospace Industries has doubled down on this airshow to show off their creations. While some of these are still work-in-progress aircrafts, they are certainly not letting that rain on their week out at Farnborough.
News
Commercial Aircraft News
Delta Air Lines Announces Huge Boeing 737 MAX 10 Order
The first big move of the Farnborough Airshow has happened, and Delta Air Lines has announced a stupidly massive order for 100 B737 MAX 10 with 30 further options. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2025 and run through to 2029.
For more information, feel free to read this article.
TAAG Angola To Replace B737-700 with 6 A220-300
A slightly more minor order, but still one with a lot of discussion to be had, TAAG Angola has opted to directly replace their fleet of aging B737-700 with 6 A220-300. Rather interestingly, this is one of a few occasions where the regional jet has started creeping into the large narrow body segment where it can be seen as a direct replacement instead of a complementing aircraft. Typically, A220-300 orders have been placed to replace other regional jets.
For more information, feel free to read this article.
Boeing and ANA Confirms Boeing 737 MAX and Boeing 777-8F Selection
All Nippon Airways has finalised an order with Boeing for 20 Boeing 737 MAX 8 with 10 further options, as well as two Boeing 777-8F for their cargo subsidiary. Historically a loyal Boeing customer, ANA has had their fair share of issues with Boeing’s recent planes, seen in the battery fire and fuel leaks on their Boeing 787 Dreamliners early on, though they have seem to put that behind them and are still looking at Boeing for their future.
In total, ANA’s order tally with Boeing stands at 61 Boeing 737 MAX, 2 Boeing 777-8F, 18 Boeing 777-9 and a handful more Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
For more information, feel free to read this article.
Military Aircraft News
News will be posted here once officially announced.
Aircraft Development News
News will be posted here once officially announced.
Rumours
Malaysia Airlines Rumoured to Order 21 A330neo
For a few months, Malaysia Airlines has been in talks with various aircraft manufacturers for a replacement for their current fleet of A330-200 and A330-300. Boeing, on one hand, was offering their B787-9 and B787-10, as well as possibly developing a B787-10ER should the demand for range exist. On the other hand, Airbus has been offering their A330neo and A350 line up which is an option that makes more sense given the fleet commonality.
For a long time, Airbus has been leading the charge in earning Malaysia Airline’s orders, with an order expected sometime during the Farnborough Airshow.
For more information, feel free to read this article.
Jet Airways Airbus Order On The Table
Jet Airways are reportedly in talks with Airbus for an order for up to 50 A320neo and A220s. While Boeing and Embraer are also in talks with the former bankrupt airline, it is reported that Airbus has emerged the front-runner to win this order that is repotedly worth up to USD 5.5 billion.
For more information, feel free to read this article.
Tata Owned Air India A350 Order
Source: Colors India: Airbus in Talks With Tata Group to Provide New A350 Planes for Air India Fleet
Possibly being the first airline in India to operate the A350, Air India has been in talks with Airbus for a massive order. While no comment has been made by Airbus and Air India’s Chief Commercial Officer refusing to comment on the matter, leaked documents sent to senior pilots within the airline informing them that they will be re-training to the A350 is certainly an indication that an order is imminent.
For more information, feel free to read this article.
For any breaking news, please feel free to make use of the thread to discuss any major moves and rumours throughout this airshow. Enjoy the festivities and I can’t wait to see the aviation industry come bouncing back.