What Farnborough Airshow does

Farnborough International Limited is a privately-held UK events and venue management company, wholly-owned by ADS Group Limited, that operates one of the world's two dominant aerospace trade exhibitions alongside the Paris Air Show. The company's flagship product is the biennial Farnborough International Airshow (originating in 1948), complemented by a year-round Exhibition & Conference Centre at Farnborough Aerodrome and an expanding portfolio of adjacent events including Space-Comm Expo, Sustainable Skies World Summit, Global Urban & Advanced Air Summit (GUAAS), Aerospace Global Forum, ITT Hub, Pioneers of Tomorrow, and the newly launched Farnborough International Space Show (March 2025). The company also provides airshow consultancy services, notably an advisory role for the Bahrain International Airshow.

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of channels: exhibitor booth fees and sponsor packages (with tiered offerings such as Chalet Row and exhibitor participation drawing 1,400+ companies at peak events), trade visitor registration fees, public consumer ticketing for weekend airshow days, year-round venue hire of the Exhibition & Conference Centre, and consultancy fees for external events. The customer base spans the global aerospace and defense ecosystem — major OEMs (Airbus, Boeing, Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin), tier-1 suppliers, space-sector firms (UK Space Agency, ESA, Cornwall Space Cluster, Space Florida), government agencies (UK Jet Zero Council), advanced air mobility players (Bell, Gulfstream), and consumer ticket buyers for public weekend attendance.

The underlying operating platform consists of physical venue infrastructure (Permanent Hall 1 development, airfield facilities), event management software for registration and ticketing, and the organizational capability to coordinate large-scale trade shows with government delegations, OEM hospitality programs, and media partnerships. Order announcement values at FIA14 reached US$204 billion, reflecting the show's role as a commercial transaction venue, though these figures represent exhibitor-driven transactions rather than Farnborough International's revenue.

Name

Farnborough Airshow

Legal name

Farnborough International Limited

Website

https://farnboroughinternational.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Farnborough International Limited operates the biennial Farnborough International Airshow and a year-round Exhibition & Conference Centre, serving global aerospace OEMs, defense firms, space agencies, and government clients through exhibitions, venue hire, and event consultancy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Trade Shows and Events

NAICS

Other Support Activities for Air Transportation (48819)

SIC

Airports, Flying Fields & Airport Terminal Services (4581)

akta.pro primary industry

Aviation & Aerospace (EDABALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Commercial Aircraft Manufacturing (Fixed-Wing) (IMABAAAA)

Keywords

• Aerospace exhibitions
• Trade airshows
• Exhibition venue hire
• Space industry events
• Aviation conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Farnborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Event Exhibitor and Trade Visitor Fees: Companies pay to exhibit at Farnborough International events including the biennial airshow, Space-Comm Expo, Sustainable Skies World Summit, and other events. Trade visitors register and pay for access to business days.
2. Venue and Facility Rental: The Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre is available as a venue for third-party events when not hosting its own portfolio, generating rental income.
3. Event Consultancy Services: Airshow Consultancy services offered to third parties seeking to develop or improve their own aerospace or defence events.
4. Public Visitor Ticketing: The airshow offers public weekend days where individual consumers purchase tickets to attend the flying display and static exhibition.
5. Corporate Sponsorship and Partnership: Companies sponsor the airshow and associated forums (Aerospace Global Forum, Sustainable Skies World Summit) to gain brand visibility, speaking slots, and exhibitor positioning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Farnborough International operates as an event organiser and exhibition venue, delivering the biennial Farnborough International Airshow and a growing portfolio of aerospace events (Space-Comm Expo, Sustainable Skies World Summit, Global Urban & Advanced Air Summit, Aerospace Global Forum, ITT Hub) from its purpose-built Exhibition & Conference Centre at Farnborough Aerodrome. Revenue is generated through exhibitor booth sales, trade visitor registrations, corporate sponsorship and partnership packages, public weekend ticketing, third-party venue hire, and airshow consultancy services.

Product overview

Farnborough International operates as an events organization offering a portfolio of products including its flagship Farnborough International Airshow (biennial aerospace exhibition), the year-round Exhibition & Conference Centre venue, Airshow Consultancy services, and a growing portfolio of specialized events including Sustainable Skies World Summit, Space-Comm Expo, Global Urban & Advanced Air Summit, and Aerospace Global Forum. The organization also manages the Pioneers of Tomorrow youth engagement programme and the Bahrain International Airshow in partnership. Additional offerings include FINN aerospace media platform and Farnborough International Studios production facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farnborough International Airshow The flagship biennial aerospace and defence airshow held at Farnborough Aerodrome, featuring flying displays, static aircraft exhibitions, B2B networking, and order announcements for the global aerospace industry.
• Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre A purpose-built year-round venue at Farnborough Aerodrome with permanent exhibition halls and conference facilities, available for third-party event hire when not hosting Farnborough's own portfolio.
• Airshow Consultancy Professional advisory and consultancy services provided to third parties seeking to develop or improve their own aerospace or defence events.
• Space-Comm Expo The UK's largest space-focused exhibition and conference, co-organised with Hub Exhibitions, showcasing commercial space sector innovations, satellite technology, and supply chain.
• Sustainable Skies World Summit Annual global summit focused on sustainable aviation and the industry's journey toward net zero, featuring conferences, technology showcases, SAF demonstrations, and B2B networking.
• Global Urban & Advanced Air Summit (GUAAS) Leading global business event for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and eVTOL sectors, demonstrating latest developments in urban and advanced air mobility, with editions in the UK and Asia.
• Aerospace Global Forum A five-day global thought leadership platform covering net-zero transition, digital workforce, future skills, and smart manufacturing, taking place alongside the Farnborough International Airshow.
• Bahrain International Airshow Aerospace and defence airshow held at Sakhir Airbase, Bahrain, organised with advisory and operational support from Farnborough International.
• FINN (Aerospace Global News) Aerospace global news and insights platform providing industry news, multimedia content, and coverage of the aerospace and aviation sectors.
• ITT Hub Innovation and transport technology hub event focused on showcasing transportation and logistics innovations as part of the Farnborough International event portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Record order announcements of US$204bn at FIA14, US$124bn at FIA16, US$88.7bn at FIA2008
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Collingwood AdvisoryminorOthers · 28 November 2022Darren Johnson, non-executive director appointed to Farnborough International's board, was Global Practice Lead, Events at Collingwood Advisory at the time of appointment. This is an advisory/board appointment rather than a commercial partnership.
• Bahrain Ministry of Transportation and TelecommunicationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 November 2022Farnborough International acts as an advisor and operational partner for the Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS), returning in November 2022 after four years. The Bahrain Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications and the Royal Bahraini Airforce own and oversee BIAS, with Farnborough International providing industry expertise, event design guidance, and marketing support.
• Royal Bahraini AirforcecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 November 2022The Royal Bahraini Airforce co-supervises the Bahrain International Airshow alongside the Bahrain Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications, with Farnborough International providing operational and advisory support for event delivery.
• ADS GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2022ADS Group is cited as the partner collaborating with Farnborough International on the Aerospace Global Forum (AGF), launched July 2022. ADS CEO Kevin Craven provided endorsement quotes and ADS provides industry leadership content and network reach to the AGF platform.
• ADS Group LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADS Group Limited is the ultimate parent company of Farnborough International Limited. ADS represents the UK aerospace, defence, security and space industries and provides Farnborough International with access to its extensive industry network of member companies, government contacts, and trade associations. Farnborough International and ADS collaborate on events including Farnborough International Airshow, Pioneers of Tomorrow, DEI Committee, and Aerospace Global Forum.
• Hub ExhibitionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHub Exhibitions is the co-organiser of Space-Comm Expo in partnership with Farnborough International. Hub brings its space industry event expertise and contact network, while Farnborough International provides the venue and aerospace brand. Space-Comm Expo is branded as organised by Hub Exhibitions in partnership with Farnborough International.
• Sustainable Aviation CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Sustainable Aviation Coalition is the industry coalition representing all parts of the UK aviation industry (airlines, airports, aerospace manufacturers). They are a founding partner of the Sustainable Skies World Summit, contributing content, speakers, and industry network engagement to the event.
• ADS GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADS is listed as a supporting partner of Space-Comm Expo, bringing its network of space sector members to the exhibition and conference programme.
• UK Space AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe UK Space Agency is listed as a supporting partner of Space-Comm Expo and provides keynote speakers including the CEO (Dr Paul Bate) and Deputy CEO for Project Delivery (Ian Annett) to the conference programme.
• UK Space (UKSpace trade association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKSpace is listed as a supporting partner of Space-Comm Expo, representing the UK space industry's voice at the event.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESA is listed as a supporting partner of Space-Comm Expo, contributing to the conference programme and providing institutional credibility to the UK commercial space event.
• Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKTN (now part of Innovate UK) is listed as a supporting partner of Space-Comm Expo, connecting Farnborough's event with UK innovation networks in the space sector.
• UK Jet Zero CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe UK Jet Zero Council (JZC) — a partnership between industry and government — meets at Farnborough International's Sustainable Skies World Summit and uses the platform to advance its SAF delivery and zero-emission flight objectives. The JZC's strategy framework was launched at Farnborough International Airshow 2022.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Zhuhai Airshow (China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition): China's flagship biennial airshow, state-backed by AVIC and the People's Liberation Army; the leading competitor in the Asia region for COMAC, Russian, and emerging-market exhibitor mindshare.
• Aero India (Ministry of Defence, Government of India): Asia's oldest biennial airshow, hosted by the Indian Ministry of Defence and supported by the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre; competes for defence-procurement visibility and airshow exhibitor attention across emerging markets.
• Messe Berlin (organiser of ILA Berlin Air Show): German trade-fair organiser that runs ILA Berlin, focused on European aerospace and the German industrial base; competes with Farnborough for European Tier-1 supplier attention and government delegations.
• Dubai World Trade Centre (organiser of Dubai Airshow): State-supported venue and event organiser behind the biennial Dubai Airshow, increasingly positioned as the Middle East hub for commercial aerospace deals and a direct rival to Farnborough in the Boeing/Emirates/Airbus ecosystem.
• GIFAS (Groupement des Industries Françaises Aéronautiques et Spatiales): French aerospace trade association that runs the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget — the only true global peer to the Farnborough International Airshow, alternating biennial editions and competing for the same OEM, Tier-1, and government order announcements.
• Experia Events: Singapore-based event organiser that runs the Singapore Airshow, the largest airshow in Asia; competes with Farnborough for exhibitor share and increasingly for emerging-market OEM and government engagement.
• MAKS (Rostec / Russian aviation industry): Russia's biennial aviation and space salon, historically one of the top five global airshows; peers with Farnborough in commercial aviation networking but materially impacted by current geopolitical constraints.

Broad incumbents

• RX Global (Reed Exhibitions): Large international exhibitions organiser (part of RELX) running major trade shows and aerospace-adjacent events, providing a comparable operating model for venue-based B2B exhibitions at greater scale.
• Informa plc: Global B2B events, exhibitions, and intelligence conglomerate operating major aerospace and defence shows (e.g., DSEI, Farnborough-adjacent exhibitions) and a much larger scale competitor in the broader events marketplace.
• dmg events: UAE-headquartered B2B event organiser running major energy and construction expos; increasingly active in aerospace and aviation events, providing a Middle East-anchored peer for venue-based large-format exhibitions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FIAFarnborough
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Farnborough2012
• Facebookfacebook.com/FarnboroughAirshow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Farnborough Airshow