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Italian minister of defence visits Farnborough Airshow 2018

The Farnborough Airshow, an event held every two years at Farnborough air base just outside London, showcases aeronautical science and technology and its use in civil and commercial aviation, defence, and the broader aerospace sector. Over 1,500 exhibitors from 100 countries took part in this year’s event, with a significant Italian presence that included two large pavilions, one run by the Leonardo group and the other, run by the Italian Trade Agency, hosting a large number of major Italian aerospace companies.

The Italian minister of defence, Elisabetta Trenta, attended the first two days of the event, accompanied by the Italian ambassador, Raffaele Trombetta, and by other representatives of the Italian Ministry of Defence, including General Carlo Magrassi, the secretary general for defence; and General Enzo Veciarelli, the chief of staff of the Air Force. The delegation visited the Italian pavilions, including the stands of the Italian Association for Aerospace, Defence and Security (AIAD) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), as well as sixteen innovative aerospace start-ups and SMEs, which participated jointly through the Italian Trade Agency, under the direction of Roberto Luongo, the agency’s UK head. They also visited the pavilions of a number of Italian regions that were represented at the event: Campania, Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Lombardy, Piedmont; Puglia and Umbria.

The aerospace industry is a driver of significant economic growth for Italy, the UK and their European partners. Just the day before Ms Trenta’s visit, a British-Italian project to build a new-generation jet was announced, with significant implications for the defence sector. The minister and her British counterpart, Gavin Williamson, held a bilateral meeting, where they signed a declaration of intent to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries in the military and aerospace sectors.

On the third day of the event, representatives of the Italian Chamber of Deputies’ Commission on Production and Commission on Defence, headed by their presidents, the Hon. Barbara Saltamartini and the Hon. Gianluca Rizzo respectively, visited the Italian pavilions. In the evening they attended a meeting at the Embassy of Italy with representatives of the British economic community, including members of the sistema Italia (Italy’s national economic system).

On Monday evening, the embassy hosted a reception to celebrate the strong presence of the Italian aerospace and defence sector at Farnborough. The event was attended by Ms Trenta, the heads of numerous companies of the sector, including Guido Crosetto, the head of AIAD (Italian Federation of Companies for Aerospace, Defence and Security); Giovanni De Gennaro, the chairman of the Leonardo group, and Alessandro Profumo, the group’s CEO, as well as representatives of over 80 companies.

For further information please contact: stampa.amblondra@esteri.it

 

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