Farnborough International Airshow opens in Britain

The 2008 Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) opened on Monday where aerospace organizations from around the world gathered in the southern English town of Farnborough to demonstrate their latest aerospace capabilities and products.
More than 1,500 exhibitors from 39 countries will be present at the world's premier aerospace business event organized by Farnborough International Ltd, a subsidiary company of the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC), the trade association for the UK aerospace industry. The number of exhibitors increased by 5percent compared with the FIA 2006.
As many as 140,000 business visitors are expected to the exhibition from Monday to Friday, who are sure to be captivated by the sales campaign.
The world's leading aerospace companies such as Airbus, the Boeing Company, BAE Systems, EADS, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Rolls-Royce will all be present at the one-week global business event that showcases new and innovative products and the latest technological developments in the fast moving world of aerospace.
The aircraft and equipment exhibited encompass avionics, ground equipment, materials and private aviation. And daily flying displays provide a valuable presentation in which manufacturers can demonstrate the capabilities of their products, enhanced by an illustrative commentary broadcast across the show site.
Amanda Stainer, the airshow's Exhibition and Events Director, said "the 2008 Airshow is going to be a great event. This year's show will deliver an incomparable business service for our exhibitors and their customers, ensuring that they can gain maximum benefit and opportunity from attending Farnborough Airshow."
"Exhibitors new and established will be able to see for themselves the way in which the show has evolved since 2006 to ensure that Farnborough International Airshow 2008 will deliver maximum return for all our business visitors," Stainer said.
And this year's airshow will be highlighted by two anniversaries: 60 years of the Airshow at Farnborough and the centenary of the first ever recorded sustained flight from Farnborough airfield in 1908.
Trevor Sidebottom, Farnborough International Limited's Managing Director, said "initially established as a way for the British public to see for themselves what the best of British aviation engineering could achieve, Farnborough International Airshow has since emerged as the world's premiere global showcase for all things aerospace."
"We hope very much to celebrate the achievement of the past while looking ahead to the real challenges of the future and how our show will evolve to meet them." Sidebottom said.
The FIA, which is staged every two years, alternating with the Paris Airshow, offers a highly effective platform to showcase a wide range of products and services and presents a valuable opportunity to trade with the global aerospace market.