FARNBOROUGH, July 18 — Aviation bosses gathered for the return of the Farnborough Airshow today, aiming for a display of confidence after the devastation of Covid-19, even though the only records likely to be broken at the event are for sweltering temperatures.
Travel problems were exacerbated by climate protesters holding a mock funeral for the Earth on the main road outside the show, and delegates could face a tough return journey home, with warnings of train cancellations and delays. “The future combat aircraft system is not just a plane. It is a whole platform for technological change, and industrial spin offs of all kinds,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in opening remarks at the show.
But the big-ticket orders that dominated past events are rarer as airlines repair balance sheets weakened by Covid-19 travel restrictions. But the head of the body representing global airlines, IATA Director General Willie Walsh, said manufacturers had wasted chances to shore up their assembly lines.