UK’s Aerospace Industry to Benefit From a Day of Major Orders at the Farnborough International Airshow
Day two at the Farnborough International Airshow saw an intense amount of activity with orders worth up to £4.5bn to the UK aerospace industry announced.
The most significant order came from Air Asia who confirmed the purchase of 100 Airbus A321neos (A320neo family), with another 100 options.
Paul Everitt, CEO of ADS Group said: “The second day of the Farnborough International Airshow has seen this global industry event live up to its reputation as a deal-making hub. These orders will translate into high-skill, high-value employment across the UK; this is great news for the nation’s economy.”
About the A320 / A320neo:
- Airbus assembles and equips A320 wings from its East Factory, in Broughton, North Wales. More than £100m is being invested over the next few years in the A320 wing assembly line - in order to equip the factory with new, semi-automated pulse line technology systems to improve efficiency and ensure readiness for a ramp-up in production levels.
- UK companies supply tyres, communication antennas and flight control actuators across the A320 family.
The day also saw the Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) hold a conference at which it launched Means of Ascent which details the AGP’s strategy going forward. A key focus is the UK Aerospace Supply Chain Competitiveness Charter; a structured continuous improvement programme focussed on sharing growth opportunities with suppliers and supporting dissemination of innovative technology.
Coinciding with the AGP’s event, the Business Secretary Sajid Javid announced that government and industry have committed to providing almost £365 million of funding for new aerospace technologies, further enhancing the UK’s reputation as a world leading aircraft design and manufacturing hub.
The new builds on the £1.2 billion of funding government has already jointly invested through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), which has contributed to 149 new projects, involving 188 different companies and organisations, including over 100 small and medium sized businesses.
The research projects will target different aspects of aircraft manufacturing and performance, driving up competitiveness, lowering costs, and helping to deliver environmentally-friendly aircraft with lower emissions and reduced noise.
Paul Everitt said: “This investment reinforces the value of modern industrial strategies and will help keep the UK at the forefront of global aerospace technology. The Aerospace Growth Partnership’s focus on the value of the UK supply chain and the steps required to sustain global competitiveness will help ensure the sector continues to make a growing contribution to our national prosperity.”