Farnborough International Airshow 2026: Day 1 wrap
The sun is shining, the buses are packed, and the UK is welcoming in a new prime minister.
It can only mean one thing. Farnborough International Airshow 2026 is open!
This year has seen lots of new developments at the airshow, including the new Finance Summit, which has attracted over 600 investors to Farnborough. There’s also the SME Defence Zone, helping defence enterprises get a leg up in the industry.
There’s even a new 6th exhibition hall, created to accommodate the huge number of businesses that wanted to have a presence here.
In 2024, the airshow brought in over £80 billion of aircraft deals. While the jury is still out on whether this year can beat that record, there has been plenty to get excited about on Day 1 of Farnborough Airshow.
SMBC orders 100 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft
MBC kicked off what turned out to be a very good day for Boeing with an order for 100 737 MAX aircraft. The order covers 60 of the yet-to-be-certified Boeing 737 MAX 10, alongside 40 of the 737 MAX 8.
It’s the first time SMBC has ordered the largest of the 737 MAX family, although it is a firm long-term customer of Boeing, with a total of 450 737 MAX aircraft on its books.
Get the full story on SMBC orders 100 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft
SMBC reveals a second 100-aircraft order, this time from Airbus
Late in the day, Airbus revealed another massive order from SMBC Aviation Capital, also for narrowbody aircraft. In all, the lessor has bought 100 A320neo family aircraft, split between 65 A321neos and 35 A320neos.
The lessor is already a significant customer of Airbus, and with these new aircraft added to its existing fleet and other comittments, it could ultimately end up with more than 800 Airbus narrowbodies on its books.
Get the full story on SMBC’s Airbus order here
Riyadh Air exercises options with both Airbus and Boeing
Riyadh Air has exercised options on previously ordered aircraft to add a total of 34 new jets to its backlog with Airbus and Boeing.
Among these are 28 787 Dreamliner options converted to firm orders, 20 of which will be the largest of the family, the 787-10.
In addition, the airline firmed six more Airbus A350-1000s at the airshow.
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Archer and Anduril unveil ‘Thunder’, a new autonomous VTOL attack helicopter
Archer Aviation and Anduril have revealed a jointly developed autonomous VTOL platform, designed for both defence and commercial applications. At the Farnborough Airshow, Anduril showcased the defence variant, known as Thunder.
Thunder is a Group 5 autonomous attack rotorcraft, built on Archer’s experience in air taxis. The partners say they have already completed multiple test flights with full-scale surrogate aircraft, and intend to fly Thunder in 2027.
Get the full story on Archer and Anduril unveil ‘Thunder’
Philippine Airlines orders its first Boeing 787 Dreamliners
More aircraft orders arrived on day 1 of the airshow as Philippine Airlines committed to up to 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
The commitment covers 15 Boeing 787-10s with options for a further five. The order is the first time the airline has opted for the 787, despite having a relationship with Boeing that stretches back for eighty years.
Get the full story on Philippine Airlines orders its first Boeing 787 Dreamliners
Loganair orders up to 10 BETA Technologies ALIA electric aircraft
Advanced Air Mobility companies had a great first day at the show too, with Loganair signing for up to 10 of Beta’s ALIA all-electric CX300 aircraft. Five are on firm order, with the other five held as options.
Although BETA is working on an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) version of the ALIA, these orders are for the conventional, or CTOL, version, which was flying today at the airshow. Deliveries are slated for 2029 onwards.
Get the full story on Loganair’s purchase of BETA’s ALIA electric aircraft
EVE Air Mobility snags orders for up to 46 eVTOL aircraft
Embraer spinoff EVE has also secured more orders at Farnborough for its eVTOL aircraft. Cabo Verde company Moov signed a letter of intent for up to 30 of EVEs aircraft, and plans to explore both shuttle services and sightseeing flights with the platform.
Aviation-finance company Shearwater Global Capital also committed to EVE, with up to 16 aircraft included in the agreement. Under the agreement, Shearwater intends to develop leasing options that could give future operators access to Eve aircraft without requiring them to purchase fleets outright.
Get the full story on EVE Air Mobility snags orders for up to 46 eVTOL aircraft
British Airways switches to Pratt & Whitney GTF for future A320neo fleet
Elsewhere, the engine makers have been seeing great success at Farnborough. In a surprise move, British Airways opted for Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engine for its future Airbus A320neo family aircraft.
To date, all BA’s A320neos have been powered by CFM’s LEAP engines, so this is quite the departure from the norm.
Get the full story on British Airways ‘ switch to Pratt & Whitney GTF
BOC Aviation makes its largest-ever engine order for up to 300 CFM LEAP
BOC Aviation continued the engine-related news with a huge order for up to 300 CFM International engines to support its expanding fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft.
The agreement covers up to 200 LEAP-1A engines for the Airbus A320neo family, and 100 LEAP-1B for Boeing 737 MAX aircraft that are already in BOC’s orderbook.
Get the full story on BOC Aviation’s massive LEAP engine order
As the skies begin to fall silent over Farnborough, I think we can confidently say Day 1 has been a resounding success. Despite aching feet and tired heads, we are more than ready to do it all again tomorrow.
