Paris Air Show delivers £13bn boost to UK aerospace

Posted on 24 Jun 2017 by Jonny Williamson
UK aerospace - 100 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft (pictured) will be sold to VietJet. Image courtesy of Boeing.

The amount of aircraft deals announced at last week’s Paris Air Show is expected to contribute some £13bn to the UK economy.

100 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft (pictured) will be sold to VietJet. Image courtesy of Boeing.
Following the official launch of its 737-MAX 10, Boeing recorded more than 800 orders, commitments and agreements for aircraft across the entire 737 MAX family range – image courtesy of Boeing.

The Paris Air Show, which ran from Monday 19 to Sunday 25 June, saw orders, commitments and agreements for more than 1,400 aircraft, with a global value of £130bn.

Around 10% of which is due to benefit tUK aerospace, the largest in Europe, making it one of the biggest beneficiaries.

Deals were announced for:

  • 1,220 Single Aisle Aircraft, worth £109bn globally and £9.7bn to UK industry
  • 79 Widebody Aircraft, worth £17bn globally and £3bn to UK industry
  • 128 Regional Aircraft, worth £1.8bn globally and £160m to UK industry

Paul Everitt, chief executive of ADS – the UK trade organisation representing the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors, commented: “This welcome news represents a real vote of confidence in the industry around the world and especially in the UK.

“Manufacturers choose our highly skilled, innovative and productive aerospace industry to deliver components and systems for the most technologically advanced and popular models of commercial aircraft.

“The 88 companies exhibiting in the UK Pavilion this week have shown the world why the UK aerospace sector continues to be so successful and is such an attractive destination for international investment.”

Highlights of the company announcements this week included:

  • Orders and agreements for more than 300 A320 family aircraft – including a single order for 100 A320neos from airline leasing company GECAS, worth £1.2bn to the UK aerospace sector
  • Following the official launch of the Boeing 737-MAX 10, the company recorded more than 800 orders, commitments and agreements for aircraft across the entire 737 MAX family range
  • Airbus also confirmed an order for 10 A350-900s from Ethiopian Airlines and eight A330neos from Zagros Airlines. Both orders will include UK-made wings and engines, and together are worth around £2bn to UK industry
  • More than 60 orders and commitments for Bombardier’s Q400 regional turbo-prop aircraft, worth more than £30m to the UK

Manufacturing centres across the UK will benefit from this new business, including:

  • Broughton – design, development and manufacturing of wings for all Airbus aircraft platforms, including the A320 family model that saw orders and commitments of more than 300 aircraft
  • Isle of Wight – GKN Aerospace makes fuel-saving advanced technology winglets for Boeing’s 737 MAX.
  • Derby – Rolls Royce designs and produces the world’s most efficient large aero engine, the Trent XWB, for the Airbus A350.
  • Belfast, Northern Ireland – Bombardier Aerospace manufacture wing-mounted flight components for the Q400.