Aerospace News – Late July 2026
A landmark investment to build next-generation industrial and manufacturing capabilities for future aerospace production has officially opened at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC).
The pioneering £54m open-access Composites at Speed and Scale (COMPASS) research and development facility, which has Boeing as its first user, was opened on 16 July, bringing together key leaders from across industry, government and academia.
The COMPASS facility is designed to de-risk and accelerate high-rate, large-scale composite production and marks a major step forward to grow the UK economy and secure the long-term future of UK aerospace manufacturing by enabling production at true rate and scale.
As global aircraft demand hit record highs, with more than 40,000 aircraft needed over the next 20 years, the UK industry is making a targeted play to capture a greater share of the multi-billion-pound aerospace export market. COMPASS serves as critical national infrastructure to meet this demand, unlocking the advanced capabilities required to manufacture large-scale aerostructures faster and more efficiently within the UK.
Sourced from The Manufacturer
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The UK’s aerospace sector is one of the jewels in the country’s industrial crown, turning over about £34bn annually and directly employing more than 100,000 people in all parts of the UK.
But there are challenges on the horizon, not least that aircraft makers must grapple with reducing the environmental damage caused by flying at a time when more people than ever want to travel.
The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East are also having an impact. While they have pushed up fuel prices for airlines to record levels, they have also triggered the biggest rise in European military spending since the Cold War.
This, in turn, has led to a rapid escalation in drone production while the use of AI continues to increase alongside the development of new, lightweight composite materials for aircraft manufacturing.
Anyone wishing to take the pulse of the sector in such turbulent times can this week head to the Farnborough Airshow, the biennial trade bonanza that attracts the global industry’s biggest players and their customers to an airfield in a corner of Hampshire.
Sourced from The Business Desk
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Airbus’s UK plants are to test revolutionary new folding wing extensions for the aerospace group’s next generation of jetliners as it looks to make flying more efficient while reducing fuel consumption.
Over the next three years, the factories in Filton, Bristol, and Broughton, near Chester, will design, build and flight-test the extensions, expected to add four or five extra metres to the 35.8m wingspan of a single-aisle Airbus A321neo.
The tests are part of Airbus’s pioneering Wing of Tomorrow programme, a major research project designing lighter, longer and more slender ‘gull-shaped’ wings to maximise aerodynamic efficiency.
They also align with the aviation industry’s ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Sourced from TheBusinessDesk
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Rolls-Royce has secured a major new aerospace deal with Philippine Airlines for 18 Trent XWB-97 engines as the airline expands its long-haul fleet.
The Derby-based engineering giant has signed a memorandum of understanding with PAL covering engines to power nine Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, with the agreement also including options for a further five aircraft.
The deal strengthens a long-standing relationship between the two companies and follows PAL’s 2023 order for nine Airbus A350-1000 aircraft powered by the Trent XWB-97 engine.
Rolls-Royce will also provide its TotalCare service, a long-term maintenance agreement designed to monitor engine health, support reliability and improve operational planning for the airline.
Sourced from TheBusinessDesk
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Airbus has landed a firm order with global aircraft leasing company SMBC Aviation Capital for an additional 65 A321neo and 35 A320neo aircraft.
The agreement was finalised this afternoon on the opening day of the Farnborough International Airshow, the biennial global aviation industry gathering.
The order provided an early boost for Airbus, which traditionally competes with its US rival Boeing to announce the sale of as many of their aircraft during the week-long event as possible.
SMBC Aviation Capital had hours earlier inked a similar deal with Boeing for 100 aircraft from its 737 MAX single-aisle family, a range also popular with low-cost carriers.
Dublin-headquartered SMBC Aviation Capital is already one of the largest customers for the A320 aircraft family and, together with its parent company Sumitomo Corporation, accounts for more than 900 total commitments directly from Airbus for all Airbus aircraft types.
Sourced from TheBusinessDesk
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The first flight of an aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen from a UK commercial airport will take off from Bristol Airport in the next couple of years.
The UK Government has announced £8m of funding for three projects to decarbonise flight, with Bristol Airport involved in all three.
The liquid hydrogen flight will be delivered by a consortium called Cryogenic Hydrogen Optimised Systems for AviatioN (CHOSAN), led by Badgerworks.
Dave Lees, chief executive of Bristol Airport, said: “We’re immensely proud to be part of these three transformative projects, which aim to demonstrate zero emission commercial flights in the UK. Bristol Airport has a strong record of supporting innovation – we hosted the UK’s first airside hydrogen refuelling trial and our ACT Programme has funded several pioneering projects to reduce emissions.”
Sourced from TheBusinessDesk
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Aircraft manufacturer, Airbus SE, has reported consolidated financial results for the Half-Year ended 30 June 2026 which show increased orders.
Chief executive Guillaume Faury said: “Our good H1 results mainly reflect the higher level of commercial aircraft deliveries and strong performance in Defence and Space, against the backdrop of a complex and fast-changing environment.
“We are ramping up across all businesses to meet the growing demand for our civil and military solutions. Our focus on steady execution is paying off, as demonstrated by strong deliveries in Q2. This fuels our confidence in our future performance, as reflected in the recently communicated mid-term outlook.”
Gross commercial aircraft orders totalled 886 (H1 2025: 494 aircraft) with net orders of 821 aircraft after cancellations (H1 2025: 402 aircraft).
The order backlog amounted to 9,222 commercial aircraft at the end of June 2026.
Sourced from TheBusinessDesk
