Farnborough International Airshow: history and visiting as a spotter

When the business news is full of aircraft orders in July of an even-numbered year, many of them come from a small town in Hampshire. The Farnborough International Airshow is, after Paris, Europe’s second big aerospace show – and at the same time a flying display with almost a hundred years of history behind it. Manufacturers show their latest models here, airlines and leasing companies sign contracts, and airliners, fighter jets and prototypes fly over the runway. This guide explains where the show comes from, how it works today and how to plan a sensible visit as a spotter.

Farnborough at a glance

The Farnborough International Airshow is a trade show for aerospace and defense held every two years in July. The organizer is Farnborough International Limited, a subsidiary of the British industry association ADS Group. The show lasts five days, with a flying program on all five days, plus a static display on the apron and large exhibition halls. In alternation with the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, Farnborough forms the fixed two-year rhythm of the European major shows: Paris in odd-numbered years, Farnborough in even-numbered years.

The venue is the Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre directly at Farnborough Airport (IATA FAB, ICAO EGLF). The airfield has an asphalt runway 06/24 about 2,440 meters long and today serves almost exclusively business aviation. There is no public scheduled service there – outside the show, you mainly see business jets.

From Hendon to Farnborough: the history

The beginnings as the SBAC show

The roots of the show lie with the Society of British Aircraft Constructors (SBAC), the then association of British aircraft builders. In 1932, the SBAC held its first flying and ground exhibition at Hendon airfield in north London. The 1938 edition moved to de Havilland’s factory site at Hatfield – it was the last show before the Second World War. After the war, the exhibition was held in 1946 and 1947 at Handley Page’s plant in Radlett.

The move to the Royal Aircraft Establishment

In 1948, the show moved to the airfield of the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) in Farnborough, the British state aviation research establishment. The place is steeped in history: Samuel Cody made the first powered flight in Britain here on October 16, 1908. Until 1962, the show was held annually, after that every two years. From 1966, foreign aircraft were also allowed to take part, provided they contained significant British components – a gradual opening from which today’s international show emerged.

The accident of 1952

On September 6, 1952, a de Havilland DH.110, a two-seat fighter prototype, broke apart in the air during a display. Parts of the aircraft fell into the spectator area. 29 spectators, pilot John Derry and flight observer Tony Richards died. It remains the worst airshow disaster in Britain to this day and led to new safety rules for flying displays. How a later accident changed the rules in Germany is covered in the article on the Ramstein air show disaster of 1988.

Premieres you know

Many important types showed themselves to the public at Farnborough. A selection:

Year	Event	Why it was interesting for spotters
1970	Appearance of Concorde	Supersonic airliner shortly after the start of flight testing
1996	Display debut of the Eurofighter Typhoon	European fighter aircraft in a flying display for the first time
2006	Flyover of the Airbus A380	World’s largest passenger aircraft in the middle of testing
2010	first appearance of the Boeing 787 at an international airshow	Dreamliner before entry into service
2016	Show debut of the F-35 Lightning II	Stealth jet, two years later than originally planned

The Concorde story is told in detail in the post Concorde – history of a supersonic jet.

Farewell to the public weekend

For a long time the show ran a full week: five trade visitor days, followed by a public weekend. In 2012, around 109,000 trade visitors and 100,000 weekend guests came. In March 2019, the organizers announced the end of the public flying days on the weekend. This was justified by negative feedback after the 2018 show, declining visitor numbers and stricter requirements for flying displays after the Shoreham accident in 2015. Since then, Farnborough has been a five-day trade show with a public day at the end.

The 2020 edition was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic – for the first time in the show’s history at the site. In 2022 the show returned, and in 2024 the organizers reported deals worth £81.5 billion at the close.

The 2026 show: a record for visitors

The 2026 edition ran from July 20 to 24. According to the organizers, as reported by the industry portal Aerospace Global News, 141,580 trade and public visitors from 136 countries came – 41 percent more than in 2024 and almost twice as many as in 2022. More than $84.7 billion in deals were reported, 353 firm orders for airliners and 904 firm engine orders.

For firm aircraft orders, Boeing led Airbus with 186 aircraft to 157. The orders mentioned included:

• SMBC Aviation Capital: 100 aircraft each of the Boeing 737 MAX and the Airbus A320neo family
• Riyadh Air: 28 more Boeing 787s and six Airbus A350-1000s
• MSC Air Cargo: five Boeing 777-8Fs
• flynas: 20 Airbus A321neos and five A330neos

In the flying program, two appearances drew attention: Vertical Aerospace showed the first public flight of its eVTOL aircraft, including the transition from hover to wing-borne flight and back. And the aerobatic team of the United Arab Emirates, Fursan Al Emarat, made its Farnborough debut with seven aircraft. You will find an overview of other teams in the post Aerobatic teams of Europe.

How the show works today

If you are going for the first time, you should know: Farnborough is first of all a workplace for the industry. In the halls, manufacturers, suppliers, engine makers such as Rolls-Royce, defense companies such as BAE Systems, government delegations and airlines negotiate. Press conferences announcing orders are part of every show day.

What is especially exciting for spotters are the house liveries and test aircraft that are otherwise rarely seen in public. How to recognize them is explained in the post House liveries of Airbus, Boeing and Embraer.

Planning your visit as a spotter

Tickets and access

As a private individual, you can realistically only get onto the grounds on the public day. Trade visitor tickets are aimed at industry representatives and require registration. The organizer sets ticket categories, prices and age rules anew for each edition – check them on the official website. Because public tickets sold out in 2026, it is worth not missing the start of advance sales for 2028. After the 2026 show, the trade press named July 17 to 21, 2028 as the next date.

Getting there without stress

The organizers recommend arriving by train. From London Waterloo it takes about 35 minutes to Farnborough Main. Free shuttle buses run to the Gate B entrance from Farnborough Main, North Camp and Aldershot. By car, the route is via the M3 (exit 4 or 4a), A31 and A331; parking at the site is scarce. The free Queens Parade park-and-ride site in Aldershot with a shuttle to the entrance is recommended. Pre-booked taxis and ride services drop you off there as well.

If you are traveling from Germany, you will usually land at Heathrow or Gatwick. According to the organizer, from Heathrow you need 45 to 60 minutes by rail and Tube, and from Gatwick it is 60 to 70 minutes by train. London Heathrow Airport lends itself as a spotting destination: at the Hatton Cross spot you see the approaches up close, and more spots are listed in the guide Plane spotting at Heathrow.

Criterion	Train + shuttle	Car + park and ride	Taxi/ride service
Travel time from London	approx. 35 min. from Waterloo plus shuttle	heavily dependent on traffic	heavily dependent on traffic
Parking	not needed	free in Aldershot	not needed
Last stretch	free shuttle to Gate B	free shuttle to Gate B	drop-off at Queens Parade, then shuttle
Flexibility	tied to the timetable	high	medium

The right equipment

A flying display makes different demands than a normal spotting day at the fence. The aircraft fly fast, change direction and pass by sometimes close, sometimes far away. A telephoto zoom in the range of 400 to 600 millimeters is standard, and for the static display you additionally need a wide-angle or standard zoom. How to set exposure, shutter speed and panning is explained in the guide Photographing airshows; what belongs in the bag is shown by the Airshow day checklist.

Also plan for sun protection, water and a rain jacket – British July weather can offer both in one day. Check in advance which bag sizes and items the organizer allows on the grounds.

Photography in Great Britain

On the show grounds, the organizer’s house rules apply; at individual stands, especially with military equipment, additional restrictions may apply. Outside the grounds, plane spotting is generally widespread and accepted in Britain. What you should know about police checks and anti-terror laws is summarized in the post Spotting in Great Britain. General rules for photos around airports are explained in Is plane spotting allowed?.

When looking for locations around the airfield, stick to public paths. Residential areas, private property and areas that are closed off during the show for emergency routes or traffic are off limits – even if the view of the flying display from there would be tempting.

More aviation around Farnborough

Right at the airfield is the museum of the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust (FAST) in Trenchard House on Farnborough Road. It commemorates the work of the Royal Aircraft Establishment with aircraft, models, simulators and satellites; at certain times the historic wind tunnels are also shown. According to its own website, the museum is open on weekends and bank holiday Mondays – check the current notices before visiting, because the offering depends on volunteers.

If you stay a few days in southern England, you can easily extend the visit:

• Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, a place steeped in British motor racing and aviation history
• Imperial War Museum Duxford north of London, one of Europe’s great aviation museums with its own spotter location
• de Havilland Aircraft Museum in Hertfordshire, fitting the history of the DH.110 and the Comet

Farnborough compared

If you visit several shows and airshows, you quickly notice the differences. Farnborough is compact and strongly industry-oriented. Paris is bigger and offers more public days, ILA Berlin is the German counterpart in Berlin, and the Dubai Airshow is the stage of the Gulf airlines. You will find a complete overview of the dates in the post Airshows in Europe for plane spotters.

Feature	Farnborough	Paris Air Show	Royal International Air Tattoo
Rhythm	even years, July	odd years, June	annual, July
Character	Trade show with flying program	Trade show with flying program	Military airshow
Public access	one public day	several public days	all days
Focus	Industry, orders, prototypes	Industry, orders, prototypes	Military aircraft, aerobatic teams

Conclusion

The Farnborough International Airshow combines almost a century of British aviation history with the industry’s current business. For spotters it is interesting above all for the premieres, test aircraft and house liveries – and for a flying program that you do not see anywhere else in this mix. Because there is only one public day left, planning decides: secure your ticket early, plan to arrive by train and have a plan B for the weather.