Whether air shows matter any more may be open to debate, but the world of civil aviation certainly seems a different place post-Farnborough. A revived Airbus came out guns blazing, with a new boss, a new A350 and a big confidence-boosting order. Meanwhile, Finmeccanica reinforced its image as a UK champion, with one of the biggest presences at the show. The future of Farnborough again came into the spotlight. While there was some eye-popping hardware - the thrust-vectoring MiG-29 and rotor-tilting MV-22 among them - the air display disappointed some. And while organisers were acknowledged to have made key improvements, power failures in the soaring temperatures left many exhibitors in a boiling rage.
Source: Flight International
