1932 - Hendon

The first SBAC Display was at Hendon. Thirty aircraft from 13 constructors were on show plus six companies exhibiting their engines.

Hendon

More than 1,100 guests attended and saw the flying display in the morning.

Hatfield (de Havilland's Aerodrome)

The Exhibition had grown too large for Hendon and could not expand due to the encroaching built-up areas around the site. This year's event featured the Battle, Blenheim, Hampden, Hurricane, Lysander, Spitfire and Whitley.

Cancelled

The Show was cancelled due to the worsening political situation. There would no Air Display for nine years.

Radlett (Handley Page's airfield)

Although the success of this Show indicated how healthy and prosperous the Industry was, the location was not quite right. The site was the wrong shape, had a public footpath running through it, inadequate road approaches, and insufficient parking. The search was on.

Farnborough (Royal Aircraft Establishment airfield)

This was a Show of firsts: the first at Farnborough Aerodrome; the first that lasted a week; and the first that admitted the public. The Show had 187 exhibiting companies with 70 aircraft on display.

1954

The Glosters make an appearance at the 1954 show

1959

Vertical take-off by a fixed-wing aircraft - the Short S.C.1 had four Rolls-Royce RB108s for forward flight and another for horizontal. The SRN-1 hovercraft achieved the lowest fly-past ever!

1962

The last of the annual Shows. From now on the Show was biennial.

Concorde made its triumphant debut during the flying display.

Farnborough International was born.

Farnborough International was born. First ever fully international display at Farnborough with 31 foreign aircraft; arrival of USAF Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird which broke the New York to London speed record en route to Farnborough

1976

“The Macchi Twins” – (Aermacchi Test Pilots Franco Bonnazi and Ricardo Durione) received a standing ovation at the morning briefing for their synchronised display in the MB.326K and the new MB.339 (a type of Lamborgini-Hawk). Due to the Nationalisation Bill introduced by the Government in 1975, this was the last year that the British Aircraft Corporation and Hawker Siddeley names appeared.

1982

With 480 exhibitors, the 1982 show was the biggest and best so far. For the first time ever an airship was on display. The show was opened by the majestic Skyship 500 as interest in the airship was reviving and there were 4 entirely new aircraft exhibiting at the show: Boeing 757 and 767, Airbus A310 and British Aerospace’s Jetstream 31.

1986

The Antonov An-124 Fuslan, then the heaviest aircraft in the world exhibited in the Static Park this year and although not flying dominated the display. Of particular note is the first public appearance of the world’s first fly-by-wire airliner – the Airbus A300B2. Spectators watched an impressive display of its response to the demands placed on its attitudes and trajectories by Airbus’s chief engineering test pilot Gordon Corps.

1988

The performance of the MiG-29 equalled that of the best that the western fighters were doing and without fly-by-wire. By September 1998, 16 countries were involved in a total of 4,207 orders – nearly 3,000 of which were required by the United States alone

1992

British Aerospace Defence Ltd featured its extensive inventory of products and equipment – the most comprehensive of its kind in the world. Designed entirely by computer the newest Airbus A340 took time out from its test-flight programme to be present during some of the show. The gracefully shaped largest jetliner had the longest range. At the other end of the spectrum in size and speed the Covert Insertion and Recovery Vehicle produced by Icarus Aircraft weighed in at less that 132lb. Powered by a 100cc 2-stroke engine, the high performance hang glider also has a full suite of flight and navaids to assist downed aircrew.

1996

New clearspan structures, erected by De Boers were used for the first year replacing the previous hall and chalet buildings. Boeing had planned on launching the new 747 generation, but in the event launched a 757 stretch dubbed the Dash 300. Some new aircraft were on display including the thrust-vectoring SU-37 and the first UK built Eurofighter 2000. The replica Vimy that took off from Farnborough International 1996 to fly to Australia was on static display this year. 60 military (29 in the flying display) and 94 civil craft (38 in the flying display) took part in the airshow

2000

The first show to be held in July with a record number of contracts (US$52 billion / UK£35 billion) and exhibiting craft on the trade and public days. 148 aircraft exhibited on the trade days comprising 105 civil and 43 military aircraft. Public visitors saw 167 aircraft – 88 on static display, 46 in the flying display and 33 in both the static and flying display. Saab Technologies provided visitors with a glimpse of the future and unveiled their Netdefence concept – an internet-based command and control (C2) architecture understudy for the Swedish armed forces and intended to be fully fielded by 2020.

2004

Airline orders and defence spending announcements dominated Farnborough International 2004, with $20 billion of business done in the trade days.  New attractions to the show including the Business Aircraft Park, the Motorsport Valley Pavilion and the International Space Pavilion reported successful debuts. First ever landing at Farnborough of 747s and display by South African and Cathay Pacific 747s.

2006

This was the first show to be run by the newly-formed subsidiary company of SBAC, Farnborough International Limited and one of the biggest in recent memory with 1480 exhibitors from 35 countries taking part. New products on display at the airshow included the Airbus A380, the Raytheon ASTOR Sentinel surveillance aircraft, a host of new business jet types and the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey. The most significant new product during the week was the new Airbus A350XWB airliner, which by the end of the week had secured its first order.

2012

Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic makes its European debut at the Farnborough International Airshow with a full-size replica of Space Ship 2. Orders and commitments are confirmed at US$72 billion covering a total of 758 aircraft.

2014

A record-breaking year for FIA14 with the total sum of orders and commitments at the Farnborough International Airshow confirmed at a staggering US$204bn, beating all previous records set for the show. Orders and commitments for civil jet engines reached 1600 units over 1100 aircraft.  First permanent chalets on the airshow site are built, marking the first stage in Farnborough International’s planned development programme to future-proof the Farnborough International Airshow.

2016

Despite torrential rain closing the show early on Day One, the wet weather did not dampen the enthusiasm for business. By the close of business on Friday, FIA16 has scratched up orders and options for 856 aircraft and 1407 engines totalling a positive US$124billion. The show recorded a record amount of aircraft debuts including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Boeing 737 Max, Hondajet and Bombardier C Series.  

Construction of the new Permanent Hall 1 gets underway

Construction underway on Hall 1

Construction starts on the new Hall 1 and Farnborough International rebrands to support the growing exhibition and conference centre business.