Midlands aerospace draws global crowd at Paris Airshow

As visitors from all around the world flew in for the first Paris Air Show since the Covid-19 pandemic, there was excitement among the Midlands aerospace cluster. The region had one of the largest delegations travelling from the UK to the airshow and the event would prove a great platform for business growth.

The 54th edition of the Paris Air Show - the largest aerospace trade event globally - took place from 19 - 22 June 2023. It brought together all the key players in the industry and companies at every level of the supply chain, around the latest technological innovations. The show made a big impact, drawing in 130,000 trade visitors, 2,500 exhibitors and companies from 46 countries.

In the UK Pavilion, the MAA was joined by 19 great organisations, who are based in the Midlands or do business in the region. Together, we made it the region’s biggest and best presence at the show to date.

Shortly after opening, our stand was buzzing with visitors eager to discover the latest products, services, capabilities and innovations. Among the visitors were leading industry companies including Boeing, Safran, Rolls-Royce, Moog and more. Exhibitors also enjoyed in-depth conversations with several of our MAA directors who work to support and promote the impressive capabilities in the Midlands, where there are over 300 aerospace companies.

This year’s Paris Air Show was a special one for the Aerospace UP team too. The three-year R&D funding programme – designed to unlock the innovation potential in the Midlands – has been delivered in a partnership between the MAA and the University of Nottingham. As it comes to a close, the show was a great platform for celebrating the innovative successes of SMEs across our region. Several of the companies that benefitted were exhibiting on our stand. Nearby were also beneficiaries ARC Aerosystems, DONAA and SS White.

Collaboration is at the heart of the MAA’s work and so one of the highlights of the show was the announcement of a new partnership agreement between the MAA and the UK's Aerospace Technology Institute, which was signed at the show. The agreement will help the two bodies work more closely on developing new technologies and capabilities, sharing knowledge and catalysing innovation, which will benefit supply chain companies in the region. Read the full announcement here. 

The spirit of collaboration was enhanced further with the launch at Paris of the Global Aerospace Cluster Partnership as an extension of the 45-member European Aerospace Cluster Partnership (45 organisations like the MAA!). The MAA is a leading member of the EACP, and the new informal network will support aerospace clusters from around the world exchange information, learn from each other and pursue common projects. The aim is for the clusters to grow closer together around key challenges such as sustainability, skills and business development, benefitting smaller companies in the supply chain -- which is the focus of nearly every cluster.

At the MAA, we’re proud that our strong relationships with an extensive network of global organisations enables us help supply chain companies in our region make new connections to support their business growth. For example, during Paris Air Show, we took a number of our exhibitors with us to a B2B event held by GIFAS - Groupement des Industries Françaises Aéronautiques et Spatiales - the professional body which brings together the main French aviation, space, defence and security players. It was an opportunity for them to meet international counterparts. Our national body ADS made that possible, so hats off to them too.

We also held our own events to bring people together. Our popular industry dinner - held at the restaurant Les Noces de Jeannette in the centre of Paris - saw aerospace and defence professionals gather for an enjoyable evening of business networking. The networking reception on the MAA stand at the airshow also drew in a crowd as guests gathered to make new connections and strengthen existing industry relationships. We enjoyed catching up with our members, including Farsound, a company which was announced as a Prime member during the show.

Thank you to all our exhibitors including Arrowsmith (part of ASG Group), CloudNC, Darchem Engineering, Dynamic Metals, G&O Springs, Helix, Hempel Special Metals, HR Smith Group, Maycast-Nokes Precision Engineering, MJ Sections, Prince & Izant, Sangha Metrology, Sigma, Spincraft (a Standex International Company), Spotless AI, The Structural Battery Company, the University of Nottingham, VRCO and Wallwork Group.

Thanks also to everyone who visited, including all our members and directors, for helping us make the show such a success.

Airshows are a great opportunity to grow your business and, if you’re interested in an exclusive opportunity to exhibit with us at the next major event - Farnborough Airshow 2024 - contact our team on 024 7643 0250 or at maxine.oatridge@midlandsaerospace.org.uk. We look forward to working with you to maximise your impact at what will be 2024's key global aerospace platform for cementing customer relationships and growing your business.