Aviation leaders gather for major commercial event

LONDON – Britain’s Farnborough International Air Show is making a long-awaited return next week, with aviation and defense industry leaders poised to gather amid travel chaos and labor uncertainty .

The five-day trade show, which opens on Monday, will showcase the most advanced aircraft in commercial and military aviation.

More than 70 of the top 100 aerospace companies will be present, although Farnborough International Russia’s participation is suspendedcites the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.

Six key themes were placed at the heart of the event: space, defense, sustainability, innovation, future flight and the workforce.

It marks the first time that key players in the aviation, defense and space industries will meet face-to-face during a major summer air show since Paris 2019 after being canceled due to the coronavirus crisis.

Now, as the aviation industry is facing a difficult recovery from the pandemic, the airshow is set to provide a global platform for operators to outline what the future holds.

Some of the companies expected to participate in the event include Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Rolls royce car and BAE . system.

European aircraft maker Airbus may be ready to sign an agreement with the US carrier Delta Airlines at the event. Citing two unnamed sources, Reuters report that Airbus is in talks to sell more A220 jets to Delta, with an additional order of about a dozen planes likely to be announced at the air show.

It is also thought that Delta may announce orders for at least 100 Boeing 737 MAX planes.

Airbus and Boeing were not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.

Delta executives declined to comment on reports of upcoming orders for narrow-body planes from Boeing and Airbus during Wednesday’s quarterly earnings call.

However, CEO Ed Bastian said: “We have an opportunity within the next 3-5 years to deliver on some additional large narrow-body, narrow-body acquisitions, and that’s something we’ve always been doing. talk to Airbus and Boeing and whether that’s used or it’s new, there’s still a chance there.”

Industry players will be watching to see if China wants to announce new orders at the event.

At the beginning of JulyAirbus has secured a large order from four Chinese airlines, seen as a key breakthrough for the European carrier and a setback for US rival Boeing.

Airlines China, China Eastern, China Southern and Shenzhen Airlines have committed to buy a total of 292 single-aisle A320 family aircraft from Airbus. This is the largest order by Chinese carriers since the coronavirus pandemic.

Airbus speak The deal demonstrated “positive recovery momentum and prosperous prospects for the Chinese aviation market.”

In addition to a series of orders and transactions, the UK government is ready to launch the so-called “Zero Jet” strategy.

The initiative is part of a series of policies designed to help reduce the UK’s emissions to net zero by mid-century.

The UK government is expected to include regulations forcing UK-based airlines to use a minimum amount of sustainable aviation fuel. The policy is designed to boost demand for a product that is essentially more expensive than kerosene jet fuel.

However, climate campaigners have harshly criticized the UK government’s Jet Zero initiative as unfit for purpose, arguing that some sustainable aviation fuels do more harm than good and This plan is predicated on decades of growth inconsistent with the climate emergency.

Temperature can peak exceeded 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) in southeastern England on Monday and Tuesday. It provides a claustrophobic backdrop to the air show at a time when the aviation industry is under immense pressure to reliably map out its emissions reduction plans.

Climate warming from aviation is growing faster than any other mode of transport and is a significant contributor to the climate crisis.

Campaigners have called on airline executives at the airshow to adopt meaningful targets to tackle zero CO2 emissions. These non-CO2 effects – such as nitrous oxide, water vapor, soot and black carbon – from jet engines have been found to contribute twice that of global heating as aircraft CO2 and was responsible for two-thirds of the aviation industry’s climate impact in 2018.

Another key issue for industry executives is reducing demand as a means of reducing the aviation industry’s rising emissions.

The aviation industry has been fighting a series of challenges during the run to the air show caused by the chaos of the airport before a busy summer vacation.

Strikes and staff shortages have forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights and lead to hour-long queues at major airports. It has dampened hopes of a rebound in air travel during the first summer after the Covid lockdown.

The airline industry has adopted job cuts and wage cuts as the Covid crisis brought travel around the world to a halt, but the lifting of restrictions has sent passenger demand soaring. .

Employees are now pushing for improved working conditions and better pay amid soaring inflation.

In a sign that one of Europe’s busiest airports is struggling to cope with a rebound in air travel, London’s Heathrow Airport on Tuesday tell the airlines Stop selling summer tickets.

The UK’s largest airport, located southwest of London and about 19 miles from Farnborough, says it has limited the passengers that can depart each day during the peak summer months to 100,000. That’s 4,000 fewer passengers than the current schedule.

The move has prompted a backlash from airlines, with the head of the International Air Transport Association labeling the restrictions as “comical“That opinion has also been echoed by Emirates. The Dubai-based airline has rejected what it describes as Heathrow’s ‘unreasonable and unacceptable’ claim.

– Leslie Josephs of CNBC contributed to this report.