Ahead of major narrowbody deals, Farnborough increasingly highlights defence tech and AI as supply constraints temper aircraft orders and governments boost military spending.
The Farnborough International Airshow opens on Monday in Farnborough, England, where Boeing and Airbus will focus on securing aircraft-supply deals, while defence companies seek opportunities amid rising military budgets driven by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Aircraft manufacturers are expected to announce a string of deals over the week, but industry sources say total orders are likely to come in below analysts’ forecasts of about 800 units due to supply-chain problems that constrain production.
At the same time, the defence industry is arriving at the fair in force: governments are increasing defence spending and looking for lessons from conflicts that emphasise the importance of drones, missile-defence systems and artificial intelligence.
Also on Monday, the future prime minister, Andy Burnham, begins his foray into politics and may appear at the event from July 20–24.
Organisers confirm that the defence sector will account for half of the record 1,600 exhibitors at the fair, signaling a shift away from purely commercial aviation toward defence technologies.
The changes in priorities reflect how conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East are affecting spending and demand for new defence solutions, including unmanned combat systems, missile-defence systems and artificial intelligence.
The head of Boeing’s Commercial Airplanes division said on the eve of the start that the company is focusing on increasing and improving aircraft production rather than announcing new orders.
Industry sources say Airbus and Boeing together expect to secure a little over 300 aircraft orders.
Among the expected announcements are around 100 narrow-body aircraft from each manufacturer through the Irish leasing company SMBC Aviation Capital; word of a potential deal had previously been reported in news briefs, but other companies have not commented yet.
Other airlines discussing orders include Riyadh Air and Philippine Airlines.
However, there were no signs of progress in talks between Turkish Airlines and engine manufacturers regarding long-term service agreements tied to the planned purchase of 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
Overall, Farnborough 2026 underscores the growing importance of the defence sector and the role of new technologies in the global aerospace and defence landscape, where demand for drones, missile-defence systems and artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly significant.