Geopolitical Tensions and Supply Chain Woes Dominate Farnborough Airshow

The Farnborough Airshow in southern England sees aerospace leaders discussing geopolitical tensions and supply chain challenges. Defence firms remain optimistic about increased Western military spending. Airbus, Flydubai, and Rolls-Royce unveil new strategies and products. Orders for aircraft continue despite supply issues, with significant deals from Libya's Berniq Airways, Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines, and more.

Aerospace leaders are convening at the Farnborough Airshow in southern England this week, grappling with rising geopolitical tensions and supply chain issues.

Defence firms are optimistic that Western governments will ramp up spending on weapons to counter threats from Russia and China, despite political instability in the United States and Europe. Meanwhile, Europe's satellite sector is urged to consolidate to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink, according to a Leonardo executive.

Commercial aviation is also in the spotlight, with Flydubai in early discussions with Boeing and Airbus for its largest-ever plane order, and Rolls-Royce developing a smaller version of its Ultrafan engine. Lilium plans to explore potential U.S. air-taxi assembly sites by later this year, aiming for a 2029 operational start.

(With inputs from agencies.)