What To Expect From The 2024 Farnborough Air Show

As the Farnborough Air Show 2024 draws closer, what can we expect from one of the major aerospace events of the year?

It is a major opportunity for the four big players in the market, being Boeing, Embraer, Airbus & ATR, to secure some strong sales for future longevity and to strengthen backlog.

The 2022 edition of this famous airshow was a lot quieter than people expected.

277 firm orders were made, with options for a further 81 aircraft.

But that was expected off the back of a global pandemic.

However, with the industry experiencing an explosive post-pandemic boom, airlines are going to need order aircraft.

There is the expectation that up to 1,000 orders will be made at the upcoming Farnborough Air Show.

This follows a trend set at last year’s Paris Air Show where 1,195 units were sold across respective manufacturers.

Each of the “big four” in terms of aircraft manufacturers will be approaching this airshow quite differently. Let’s take a look at how this will be the case.

Boeing at the Farnborough Air Show 2024…

Boeing will be entering the Farnborough Air Show on a much more quiet basis.

They have confirmed that their Boeing 737 MAX & 777X will not be attending for the static and flying displays.

For the 737 MAX, this comes following the relentless news over the last seven months regarding the door plug blowout on Alaska Airlines flight AS1282.

On top of this, the current court proceedings with the DOJ regarding the two crashes.

As for the 777X, this is more than likely due to the fact that they have begun certification flight trials with the FAA.

This is another target that Boeing needs to achieve due to the significant delays in entry-to-service.

T he only Boeing related commercial aircraft that will be present is Qatar Airways’ 787-9 Dreamliner.

Typically, a manufacturer’s presence at an airshow is reflective of the sort of commercial announcements that will be made.

Orders are expected, but the number and nature of them are unknown currently.

Either way, in the environment and context that Boeing finds themselves in, it will be interesting to see what orders will be disclosed at the Farnborough Air Show this year.

Airbus…

As the Farnborough Air Show 2024 draws closer, what can we expect from one of the major aerospace events of the year? — Photo Credit: Airbus.

Airbus will be wanting to continue on their significant sales momentum seen at the Paris Air Show last year.

They secured orders from the likes of IndiGo, who placed an order for 500 aircraft with the European planemaker.

In total, they sold around 850 aircraft in the space of four days at Le Bourget.

With the position Boeing is in currently, they will want to capitalise on that further in terms of acquiring further market share.

Airbus will also be wanting to showcase the A321XLR further, their next new aircraft to enter into commercial service.

This aircraft type has garnered significant attention, especially in the narrowbody long-haul market.

Some airlines have already taken advantage of this.

With this in mind, the European planemaker will want to secure some more sales of this aircraft type.

The Airbus A350 will also be another aircraft type to secure sales on.

Particularly if any carriers are wanting to take on the –900 & -1000ULR, which again, has also garnered some attention in the context of flights between Europe and Australia.

If we don’t see orders for the Airbus A320neo & A321neo, then it won’t really be seen as much of a loss.

This is given the strong and extremely healthy backlogs they have already for the aircraft type.

Airbus will be entering the Farnborough Air Show with a level of high confidence.

It will be interesting to see how many aircraft they sell this time around.

Embraer

For Embraer, their focus will be on securing more sales for the E2 program.

The Paris Air Show last year saw them only secure 52 orders.

This was opposed to the 280 orders secured at Farnborough in 2022.

Their time in Le Bourget last year saw a continued strength in their E1 program, as opposed to the E2.

That being said, it would not be surprising if more orders for the E1 come through this time around.

There could be some additional updates, however.

Embraer revealed that they will be making a decision soon on it’s next major product development:

I.E: A new commercial aircraft to bring to market.

There have been reports of the Brazilian planemaker holding discussions with governments globally for support in building this new aircraft.

Whether anymore details will be revealed at Farnborough will be interesting to see.

Another key theme that we have seen from Embraer has been it’s EVE Air Mobility program.

At Farnborough in 2022 and at Le Bourget last year, this has been another focal point that has garnered the attention of stakeholders in the industry.

It will be interesting to see whether that theme continues into the new edition of the UK airshow.

In the context of delivery slots being full for the likes of Boeing & Airbus, it will be interesting to see whether Embraer secures any sales in lieu of that, as it is a good opportunity to attract further business.

ATR at the Farnborough Air Show 2024…

ATR will want to have more successes in the regional market at the Farnborough Air Show this time around.

At Le Bourget last year, they secured 24 confirmed orders for their 42 and 72 series models.

An interesting aspect to the 42 program is the STOL program, which is the variant built around short take-offs and landings.

This could appeal to regional carriers around the world who have to contend with shorter runway lengths.

It is a gap that ATR has identified well in the market.

ATR would be in a good position if they can either sell the same amount of aircraft as at Le Bourget last year, if not more.

The backlogs do need to be strengthened, however.

However, in the regional market also isn’t as much of a bad thing if they can’t achieve it at Farnborough.

Overall…

In conclusion, the upcoming Farnborough Air Show will be an interesting to watch from all sides.

With the struggles Boeing has had this year, it will be interesting to see how this affects sales performance at a vital airshow.

All eyes will be on Airbus to see whether the dominance seen at Le Bourget last year will continue or not.

As for Embraer, the most notable aspects will be orders for the E2 program, as well as their EVE Air Mobility program.

Finally, ATR will seek to secure some more regional orders and with their focus at the last Farnborough Air Show being Japanese regional carriers in remote areas, the interest will be on which market they have been able to penetrate next.

But for now, all eyes turn to Farnborough.