FARNBOROUGH, 15 July 2014. Farnborough International Airshow 2014 (FIA14) opened with a Red Arrows fly by and Prime Minister David Cameron, MP announcing orders and commitments totalling approximately $41.9 billion U.S. – roughly triple the FIA2012 equivalent figure achieved on first day of show.
During his visit to the show, the Prime Minister announced a £1.1 billion investment in capabilities for the armed forces and set out the action plan taken by the Defence Growth Partnership of industry and government, as part of the long-term economic plan to improve competitiveness, boost the U.K. defence sector which is vital to economic growth, and make sure Armed Forces have the best equipment in the world.
The first day of FIA 2014 saw a flood of orders and commitments for new commercial aircraft and engines and also the launch of the Airbus A330-800neo and the A330-900neo, as well as the launch of the Trent 7000, which will be the exclusive engine on the A330neo.
Air Lease Corp. also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for 25 A330-900neo aircraft, becoming the first launch customer for the new widebody. Air Lease Corp also announced a firm order for 60 A321neo aircraft.
By 15:00 (3 pm local time) in Farnborough, England (GMT+1), firm orders and commitments had been announced for 326 large commercial jets and regional aircraft with a combined value of $33.3 billion U.S. In addition, orders and commitments for a total of 674 jet engines with a combined value of $8.6 billion were also announced.
“These figures are extremely encouraging and reflect the upbeat mood and return to economic growth we have been anticipating,” says Farnborough International Ltd. Chief Executive Shaun Ormrod.
FIA14 logged a significant increase in international participation (up 15%), welcoming more than 100 new exhibitors to the show.
