Farnborough International Airshow closes day 1 with $48.8 billion in orders
Deals announced on the opening day of the Farnborough International Airshow 2026 reached $48.8 billion (£36.2 billion) at list prices, with firm aircraft and engine orders delivering an estimated £7.7 billion in value to the UK aerospace industry.
Exclusive figures provided to Aerospace Global News by ADS Group show that the Day 1 total was 4% lower than the opening day of Farnborough 2024, although the value generated for UK companies increased.
The day produced firm orders for 234 commercial aircraft, worth an estimated £5.2 billion to the UK. That represents a 13% increase compared with the UK value generated by aircraft orders on the first day of FIA 2024, and 44% more aircraft ordered.
Once firm engine orders are included, the total value flowing to the UK rises to £7.7 billion, equivalent to approximately $9.9 billion at the exchange rate used by ADS.
SMBC orders 200 Airbus and Boeing narrowbodies
The opening-day aircraft tally was dominated by SMBC Aviation Capital, which placed major orders with both Boeing and Airbus.
The lessor ordered 100 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, comprising 40 737-8s and 60 737-10s, before adding a further 100 Airbus A320neo-family aircraft later in the day.
Its Airbus agreement covers 65 A321neos and 35 A320neos, with deliveries expected during the first half of the 2030s.
Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Air also converted options for 28 Boeing 787 Dreamliners into firm orders and added six Airbus A350-1000s.
The 28-aircraft Boeing agreement includes the conversion of 20 existing options to the larger 787-10, while the Airbus deal takes Riyadh Air’s total commitment for the A350-1000 to 31 aircraft.
Together, the SMBC and Riyadh Air announcements account for the 234 firm commercial aircraft orders recorded by ADS on Day 1.
Philippine Airlines separately announced a commitment for up to 20 Boeing 787-10s, comprising 15 aircraft with purchase rights for five more. The agreement will enter Boeing’s formal order backlog once finalised.
Engine agreements add billions for UK industry
The £36.2 billion opening-day total also includes 466 firm engine orders, covering engines selected for previously ordered aircraft, together with 60 engine options.
A further 20 aircraft options and several helicopter orders were included in the headline figure.
Removing the helicopter agreements would reduce the global total only marginally, from $48.8 billion to $48.7 billion, while having no effect on the £7.7 billion value attributed to UK aircraft and engine work.
Although the headline figures are based on historic or estimated list prices, rather than the confidential prices customers will ultimately pay, they provide a measure of the industrial value represented by the agreements.
Fewer customers place larger orders
ADS said the deals came from a smaller number of customers than in previous years, reflecting the record backlogs already held by aircraft and engine manufacturers.
Airbus and Boeing have sold much of their available narrowbody production well into the next decade, making access to delivery slots increasingly important to airlines and leasing companies.
The concentration of Day 1 business around major lessors and rapidly expanding airlines also reflects the scale of the commitments needed to secure positions in those production systems.
Despite the 4% year-on-year reduction in the global opening-day value, the increase in work attributed to the UK demonstrates the country’s continued importance across international aircraft and propulsion programmes.
With another four days of announcements still to come, Farnborough 2026 has already secured almost $50 billion in deals and nearly £8 billion in potential work for the UK aerospace industry.
