The British government has given firm assurances that the Farnborough air show will continue on its present site.
Michael Heseltine, Britain's Deputy Prime Minister, gave the bold backing yesterday when he officially opened this year's Show.
Heseltine says: "Aerospace and Farnborough are synonymous, and for the SBAC to hold the exhibition anywhere else would be unthinkable.
"I know there has been speculation about the future of the air show and the exhibition, but I can give my assurance today that the government intends the show to remain here at Farnborough in the cradle of British aviation."
Like the Red Arrows that shot over Farnborough just seconds before him, Heseltine delivered a predictably polished performance during the opening ceremony.
Buoyant
He was in buoyant mood as he reeled off a speech which undoubtedly struck a chord with the British Aerospace industry.
Heseltine, who has a long association with the industry through his various political positions, says it was a ‘real' pleasure and privilege to open Farnborough ‘96.
He says: "By way of political responsibility I have had a considerable involvement in the industry.
"In advanced economies of our sort, it is a frontier industry. It is one of the most exciting, at the forefront of modern technology and certainly one of the most prestigious.
"It is creating large numbers of jobs and speaking volumes for the industrial capability of individual countries. We do well as a country. Eleven British companies are on the world's top 100 aerospace companies, and British Aerospace is the largest defence contractor in Europe."
Challenge
Heseltine went on to say that the greatest area of challenge for this industry was international collaboration, and he saluted the efforts of British companies that had made successful inroads.
He says: "But that is not the end of the journey. In this country we have been proceeding with rationalisation and restructuring, grasping the uncomfortable nettles which undoubtedly stand in the way of what Europe has to achieve in order to maximise its efficiency.
"I think it can be fairly claimed that British Aerospace's industry has actually led the way in Europe to rationalise, accepting the pain that is inevitable in such a process."
Heseltine says it was essential that rationalisation was pushed ahead among European aviation companies, both to compete with the new US super-conglomerates and to be more attractive partners for them in future collaborative projects.
"There is a need," he says, "for stronger single management in international European collaborative efforts.
"If you run things by committee and have conflicting management structures, you weaken, slow down and make your products more expensive.
"The politics make it difficult to avoid that, but there's a price to pay for the politics. Increasingly, that price would be more difficult to bear."
Source: Flight Daily News
