Coronavirus: Farnborough Airshow cancelled as COVID-19 hammers UK aviation

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The Farnborough International Airshow, the world’s biggest showcase for the defence and aviation sectors, is to be cancelled as the coronavirus pandemic hammers large swathes of global trade.

Sky News has learnt that ADS, the trade body which controls the week-long event through a dedicated subsidiary, is expected to announce on Friday that the July show is being called off.

The move, while not unexpected as major international events fall victim to the pandemic, will be a bitter blow to British exporters and the Hampshire economy.

It also comes at a disastrous time for the broader aviation sector, which has been left reeling by the almost-total cessation of international air travel.

Industry sources said a formal decision would be taken at a board meeting of Farnborough International, which organises the biennial event. 

Roughly 80,000 trade visitors attend the event, with nearly $200bn of orders placed there in 2018.

Farnborough also plays host to some of the world's most spectacular air displays, although the public weekend at this year's show had already been cancelled in the aftermath of the Shoreham air disaster.