One of the first things to happen in 2025 was the Chancellor’s announcement to permit a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

We welcomed the news, noting that growth provided by the airport expansion could lead to further investment in Sustainable Aviation Fuels, hydrogen power and cleaner aircraft.

We also welcomed news of a £63m investment for the Advanced Fuels Fund.

Also in January we held a member networking event at Farnborough Airport - the largest and the most pre-eminent business aviation airport in the UK.

In March we attended the Farnborough International Space Show and our charity for the year, Aerobility, shared our stand.

Aerobility transforms lives by enabling individuals with disabilities to experience the magic and wonder of flight.

It provides educational programmes, scholarships, support for careers in aviation, and immersive flight experiences in modified light aircraft.

Building on this foundation, the organisation now seeks to expand its reach into space.

The space sector is growing and companies in aviation, aerospace, defence and their supply chains can all benefit.

As Space X and other private businesses – as well as nation states - reach for the stars, the renewed orbital ambition globally will provide opportunities.

Many of our members can adapt their research, technologies and products to be of use to those in the new ‘space race’.

Alan was featured in the show magazine:

A number off members joined us at the beginning of April for a visit to the Gulfstream facility in Farnborough.

We were treated to an insightful presentation highlighting Gulfstream’s innovations and operations, followed by an exclusive tour of its impressive facility. The visit concluded with a valuable networking session, offering members the opportunity to connect and exchange ideas.

Later in April we held a charity golf day with recruiter Owen Daniels at  Leatherhead Club in Surrey.

We got a new MP last year at the General Election and in May we invited Alex Baker to visit our member Sigma.   The company makes pipe and tube assemblies, ducts, manifolds, fabrications ad sub-assemblies, sheet and machined details, and specialist fasteners.

Alex Baker said: “I was delighted to be invited to visit Sigma by the Farnborough Aerospace Consortium and to have the opportunity to find out more about one of the many incredible and highly technical industries based in Farnborough.”

We hosted defence company MBDA at our offices in May for a meet-the-buyer opportunity. Simon Wadey and Tobias Murray from MBDA gave a presentation and then had one-to-one meetings with 10 FAC members to discuss working together.

(l-r) Richard Bower Sigma CEO, Paul Scattergood, Sigma Operations Director, Alex Baker MP and Alan Fisher from Farnborough Aerospace Consortium

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In June we welcomed the news that the UK’s aerospace sector will face no tariffs from the US following the trade deal agreed between the two countries.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and President Donald Trump announced the ‘historic’ deal at the G7 summit in Canada.

Last year the UK’s aerospace industry exported $2.81bn’s worth of goods across the Atlantic to the States.

There had been fears that aerospace and aviation might face tariffs which would have hampered the growth of the industry and its whole supply chain.

Kim Yeomans was promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO) in July.

Anyone with a working knowledge of FAC knows that Kim has been a driving force of for more than 20 years and has a wealth of knowledge as well as high level contacts.

She started with us as PA to the CEO, then was chief of staff before being appointed Operations Manager.

Her promotion to COO is testament to her efforts in helping build FAC into one of the most respected trade associations of its kind.

Alan said: “This is very much deserved and as our membership knows, Kim gives us our thrust and uplift.

“In more than 20 years she has developed a great deal of knowledge and knows industry influencers extremely well.

“Kim was also a founder member of Women in Aviation and Aerospace                                                            Charter (WiAAC), which was announced at the Farnborough International Air Show in 2018.

“She now sits on its steering committee and she is also a governor of Farnborough College of Technology.

“In her new role Kim will continue to lead our operational strategy and execution to ensure we deliver excellence and drive sustainable growth.”

We also held a successful networking event in July at the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust (FAST) museum.

Immersing members in an environment about flight and aviation really focuses minds and leads to great discussions.

The FAST Museum is open to the public on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays, from 10am to 4pm.

We swung into action for our members in August with by partnering with Skylark Country Club in Whitely, Hampshire.

The exclusive club has a meticulously maintained 18-hole golf course and extensive hospitality facilities, plus a gym, covered swimming pool and calming spa.

Members now receive a host of benefits thanks to the partnership with the exclusive club that has had a great deal of investment recently.

Benefits for FAC members taking up corporate membership at Skylark include all manner of complimentary extras on the golf course and for golf days.

They have free use of the Nineteen Lounge and The Skylark Suite for business meetings or events and there are health club and spa discounts.

Members can secure great deals for corporate events and Christmas parties and it is hoped that plenty of business will be done there.

Russell Bartlett and Alan Fisher shake hands with Ed Bartlett (l) and Alex Bartlett (r)



Members joined us in September for a tour of the wind tunnels in Farnborough, which are some of the few remaining buildings left from the world famous Royal Aircraft Establishment. They were saved for the nation by FAST and are now listed.

The FAC Conference



FAC - your work is impressive, and vital.

Those were the words of Alex Baker, MP for Aldershot and Farnborough, who opened our conference in September with a keynote speech.

She added: “You are the heartbeat of the aerospace and defence sectors in our region, and I’ve been proud to visit and see the work of some of your brilliant members over the past year.”

She also stated that she came from a private sector background and ‘knows how important it is for the private sector to get on with the job it does best.’

Having addressed the room, Alex spoke with many delegates and had their input fresh in her mind as the Labour Party conference began.

Our chairman Graham Chisnall had opened the conference and warmly welcomed the delegates to the venue, which was next to the airport, and introduced Session One, titled ‘Industry Growth Potential’.

 Following Alex Baker MP, Clive Lewis, Managing Director of Achieving the Difference, a strategic consultancy, took to the stage.

Next up, ‘James’ addressed delegates under the Chatham House Rule on sensitive projects, and kept delegates’ attention rapt.

Anne-Lise Scaillererz, CEO of ARPAS-UK, the trade association for the drone industry, revealed that 99 per cent of commercial drones are used for data capture.

Cathy Davis, Technology and Innovation, Sustainability Director, BAE Systems, began Session Two which focused on ‘aviation growth, sustainability, resilience and inclusivity’.

Harvey Matthewson who has Cerebral Palsy and is from the charity Aerobility thanked FAC for the support it had given.  The qualified pilot said Aerobility existed to ‘give the disabled the opportunity to fly’.

He implored people to sign the ‘Equal Skies Charter’ - ‘it’s not about sympathy’.

Rolls-Royce’s Elsa Hogan covered topics including the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, Women in Aerospace, manufacturing output and the lack of skills. 

The third session began with Andrew Kinniburgh, Director-General of Make UK Defence, ‘a powerful voice for manufacturers; championing growth and innovation’.

He said Make UK was pushing hard for SMEs, not least because 50 per cent of defence budgets went to the biggest companies – ‘it’s too much’.

Stephen Cowan from GKN (below), whose mission is ‘to be the most trusted and sustainable partner in the sky’, admitted that ‘tariffs kill us’.

He talked about supply chain resilience and asked if the supply chain was prepared to ‘ramp up’? ‘Most aren’t’ he said.

Harriet Wollerton, ADS Service director, spoke about SC 21, which is now far more accessible, and explained how ADS can help. She also mentioned ADS’s new cyber-security tool kit.

Nathan Nash, who serves as FAC’s supply chain support, spoke about how to strengthen supply chain performance and competitiveness.

Alan rounded off the day and said it was a great cross-section of the industry that attended and he was pleased that Alex Baker MP had committed to make the region a centre of excellence.

The conference was covered not only by trade press but also by the Daily Telegraph, which recognised the importance of the issue of young people being put off entering aerospace and aviation sectors.

We teed off October with a golf day at Skylark Country Club, introducing members to the club that we now have a deal with.

Driving to the club involves going along roads with aviation-themed names. Next time you go, have a look.

Our CEO Alan Fisher joined the South Central Regional Defence and Security Cluster steering group in November, which also received a new Chair – our board member Andrew Barnett of Barnbrook Systems.

Andrew Barnett

The cluster is a partnership between industry, academia and the public sector, working together to strengthen the region’s capabilities in defence and security.

Its aim is to accelerate innovation, support economic growth and align regional strengths with national priorities.

Andrew has more than 45 years in defence and aerospace and his goal is to unlock the south-central region’s full potential to strengthen UK defence and security capability.

Also in November Our CEO Alan represented us at the Make UK Defence Summit.

He joined a panel with leaders from the Midlands Aerospace Alliance, North West Aerospace Alliance, Aerospace Wales Forum Ltd and West of England Aerospace Forum.

In the same month Alan flew to Spain to represent us and our members at the European Aerospace Cluster Partnership (EACP) Annual General Assembly 2025 in Zaragoza.

This important gathering brought together aerospace clusters, industry leaders and innovation partners from across Europe to strengthen collaboration, share insights, and shape the future of the aerospace sector.

Alan’s participation underscores our commitment to ensuring that our members’ voices are heard in key international discussions driving growth, sustainability, and innovation in aerospace.

We enjoyed a cre8tive networking event in November, thanks to our host Cre8tive Space.

It was a morning of networking insights and collaboration.  It’s always rewarding to see professionals come together, exchange insights, and strengthen our community. 

In December we went out of this world and took a dozen of our members to visit one of the earth’s most advanced satellite technology companies.

Members were able to promote their skills and capabilities to decision-makers within Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL).

The firm has been at the forefront of satellite technology for 40 years and its products are constantly in orbit around the earth.

Robert Elliott from SSTL who organised the visit said: “It was a great pleasure to welcome FAC and its members.

“Like all companies we rely on supply chains and we are always looking for companies with whom we can work.

“Those who came on the visit displayed the type of innovation and clever thinking that the UK is famed for.

“We are hugely impressed with what FAC and its members are doing and are pleased that, like us, they understand that the sky is not the limit.”



Next year, 2026, has a full calendar of events and opportunities – with the Farnborough International Air Show and our increasingly important conference the highlights.

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