One in three exhibitors in the UK pavilion were on the Midlands Aerospace Alliance stand
We were proud to be attending the 2025 Paris Air Show alongside a fantastic group of MAA member exhibitors: representing Midlands aerospace and defence companies flying the flag for UK industry.
We all had a packed week of meetings, conversations and made many new connections with industry partners and leaders, customers, suppliers and members.
From day 1 exhibitors were ready to connect, collaborate and showcase innovation.
The standout moments from day 1 included:
- Andy Start, CEO of Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) and the UK’s National Armaments Director, meeting iCOMAT.
- Simon Wadey, MBDA, meeting Eamon Lyons of Dynamic Aerospace Fabrications Limited.
- Jo Bray OBE, Director of Advanced Manufacturing at the Department for Business and Trade, also visiting iCOMAT.
The MAA team also visited our member companies exhibiting elsewhere across the show – it was great to see such strong Midlands representation throughout the five halls.
Day 2 was another packed day of trade visitors and business meetings. Highlights included:
- MAA's Andrew Mair meeting with Chris Bennett and Sarah Walker from the Institute for Aerospace Technology (University of Nottingham) - welcoming a delegation from Baja California, Mexico, exploring potential links with their aerospace cluster.
- Meeting the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to develop opportunities for transatlantic collaboration with a very similar cluster to ours.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the MAA Networking Dinner in Paris on the Tuesday evening. It was a real pleasure to bring together MAA members, guests and industry partners for an evening of good food and great company at Les Noces de Jeannette restaurant.
Pre-dinner, we were thrilled to hear from VIP guests Professor Sarah Sharples and Professor Julia Sutcliffe, Chief Scientific Advisors at the UK Departments of Transport and Business and Trade respectively. Sarah and Julia were part of the Invest in UK University R&D - Midlands campaign led by Alex Favier, which we worked closely with throughout the show to promote the fantastic capabilities of our Midlands universities to global aerospace, and which was our generous partner for the dinner along with MAA member and exhibitor Helix.
The networking buzz from diners was palpable, and we’re delighted to have brought together such a brilliant evening in a beautiful and very French setting.
Day 3 was also another very busy day of business meetings on the MAA stand for all of us including our mascot Warwick Bear – did you spot him out and about... popping up on other UK stands, meeting new friends and causing a bit of mischief along the way!
From hosted events to standout moments, day 3 brought a real sense of momentum:
- Our MAA networking reception brought members and guests together on the stand for a welcome pause in the middle of a packed show week. Thank you to all who joined us.
- The Invest in UK University R&D - Midlands Campaign team welcomed a delegation from Hamburg Aviation, a great opportunity to share ideas and build new international relationships.
- Meanwhile, iCOMAT welcomed the Defence Select Committee, including Tan Dhesi, Fred Thomas MP, Calvin Bailey MBE MP and Ian Roome MP, to their stand: a valuable chance to highlight their latest projects and ambitions face-to-face.
Later in the day, the Invest in UK University R&D - Midlands campaign convened two superb events at the British Embassy in Paris, welcomed by Deputy UK Trade Commissioner for Europe Jo Hawley. A high-level industry-government roundtable on the future of aerospace propulsion technologies bringing together British and French experts was expertly chaired by MAA Chief Technology Officer Chris Weir. A drinks reception allowed roundtable participants and additional guests to network and develop new relationships in the wonderful grounds of the Embassy. Guests included MAA’s friends from the European Aerospace Cluster Partnership members in Germany, the Czech Republic and Portugal.
According to mission leader Alex Favier, Global Campaign Director - Invest in UK University R&D - Midlands: “This has been an outstanding example of how a regional innovation ecosystem in a critical sector projects itself on a global stage with coherence, collaboration and confidence. We have leveraged a world-class R&D cluster that has global reach through our university partnerships with international industry, universities and alumni. Thank you to the fantastic team for delivering this with such aplomb; Grant Wardle, Áine Gallagher and the fabulous MAA team of Liz Griffiths, Pamela Farries, Nicola Deards - plus Chris Weir and of course Andrew Mair.” Click here to see Alex's LinkedIn post.
The International Paris Air Show in numbers.
It was a busy, brilliant week, and we wanted to give a glimpse of just how much goes on behind the scenes at the MAA stand:
- 8 people helped build the stand.
- 22 companies exhibited on 32 “pods”.
- Over 100 people worked on the stand across the week.
- More than 1,000 companies visited exhibitors.
- Each MAA team member clocked up over 50,000 steps.
- 320 litres of water were consumed.
- And... all 37 pods on the MAA pavilion at Farnborough 2026 have already been sold.
Some comments from our exhibitors, members and board directors:
- Immensely proud of the MAA stand, knowing the level of effort Andrew Mair, Maxine Oatridge, Emma Burgess, Jay Locking and Joanne Cole go to, to ensure exhibitors have a positive experience!
- Thanks to the incredible Midlands Aerospace Alliance member services team for another fantastic show.
- Fantastic to see the aerospace community come together this afternoon. Helix have been enjoying all the deep conversation on future aerospace strategy. Thank you MAA.
- The day wrapped up with more valuable networking at the MAA dinner, where the team had the chance to engage with industry peers in a relaxed and inspiring setting.
- Well done to the MAA team on a superb stand and networking events. Put your feet up this weekend!
- What a week! Great to be part of the buzz on the MAA stand - thanks for having us and for all the support throughout the show.
- Back with a bang at the Paris Airshow, what a great week!
A heartfelt thank you to our exhibitors, members, partners, visitors and the brilliant team behind it all.
We’ve loved every minute.
