One of the world’s largest air shows is getting ready to take off again, but there will be a few notable absences this year.
Neither the Red Arrows nor the Prime Minister will be present at Farnborough due to the diary conflict and the ongoing transfer of power in Downing Street.
Despite the “Farnborough Curse” as one industry boss called it, the show is bigger than ever, with a new showroom that will host businesses coming to this corner of Hampshire to sell everything from modern fighter jets to the seat you’ll sit on during your summer holiday.
“We call it the Farnborough Curse,” said Kevin Craven, chief executive of trade body ADS, reflecting on how recent shows have often coincided with transfers of power within Number 10.
The group, which represents the aerospace, defense and security industries, owns the show, which has been attended by every prime minister since Clement Attlee, when it was a UK-wide event in the late 1940s.
The latest was Keir Starmer, who arrived just weeks after Labour’s victory two years ago.
But Craven admits Andy Burnham may have a more important meeting on Monday, when he will have an audience with the King, at which point he will officially become Prime Minister.