Farnborough International Airshow Celebrates 75 Years

The U.K.’s Farnborough International Airshow is celebrating its 75th anniversary on Thursday, Sept. 7. The event was established by the Society of British Aircraft Constructors in 1948, with the first edition featuring 66 British aircraft. Organizers noted that the show has seen aerospace industry milestones including the launch of the world’s first jet airliner, the de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1, in 1949, the Black Arrows’ world-record 22-aircraft formation loop in 1958 and the BAC-Aerospatiale Concorde’s Farnborough debut in 1970.

“The iconic airshow convenes more than 74,000 global aerospace, political and military leaders plus international media, from over 100 countries, in the very same location as the first event three-quarters of a century ago,” show organizers said. “A firm date in the global calendar, the airshow continues to generate the support and interest of world-renowned organisations and groups, including Airbus, Boeing, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies), Leonardo, Bell, GE, the Royal Air Force, US Air Force, as well as international governments.”

Held every two years, the Farnborough International Airshow hosted more than 1,500 exhibitors in 2022. The event includes 100,000 square meters (1,076,391 square feet) of exhibition space, a static aircraft display and a flying display. The 2024 show is scheduled to take place July 22-26 at Farnborough Airport (FAB) in Farnborough, Hampshire, U.K.