Industry leaders are gearing up for the Farnborough International Airshow 2022, with the preview day welcoming hundreds of exhibitors.
Gareth Rogers, CEO of Farnborough International Ltd, said this year was particularly special coming after the pandemic.
Palpable excitement
“Sometimes you look back and think 2018 was yesterday but actually it is four years and there are a lot of new people here,” he said. “It really is great to get people here and getting excited. Some are experienced and have done airshows, but it is important that we speak to everybody, we speak to all our customers and it was great to see them here today and they had so many questions which was fabulous.”
He added: “The appetite has definitely been whetted for the airshow this summer. There is just this palpable excitement in the room, palpable excitement in the business, definitely around the industry when I speak to people.”
Plethora of new industry
Joe Muir, Farnborough International Ltd’s Commercial Director, said people could look forward to industry “reconnecting” after the virtual meetings of the pandemic.
“It is incredibly important, people meeting face to face,” he said. “We are expecting to see a plethora of new industry. Since we last met, sustainability is at the forefront of everybody’s thoughts: eVTOL, electrification, hydrogen – lots of exciting things.”
Commenting on Pioneers of Tomorrow – a showcase of the best in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM), which is designed to give students, apprentices, graduates and young professionals considering a career in aerospace unprecedented access to the industry – Muir commented: “Pioneers of tomorrow is expanding on lots of things that we have done in the past with Futures Day.
“Expanding the demographic, drawing in a wider audience to tackle the skills shortage that industry is facing now, so expanding it from not just school children but up to the age of 25, and even people who are looking to move industries and move into the aerospace sector.”
