The 2020 Farnborough Airshow has been canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Events around the world have been canceled as governments look to slow the spread of the deadly virus. However, this is one of the most drastic events to be canceled in the aviation industry.

The Farnborough Airshow is held every two years. It alternates with the Paris Air Show during the years where there is no show. However, this year the Farnborough Air Show will not be held due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. A sign that the event organizers aren't expecting the situation to get better any time soon.

A high profile cancelation

The cancelation of the 2020 Farnborough Airshow has some serious significance. It shows that the industry really is worried about the ongoing effect of the outbreak. It also signals that the organizers don't expect everything to have totally blown over by late July.

In a website statement, the airshow's organizers said:

"After very careful consideration, the unprecedented impact of the global Coronavirus pandemic has forced this decision in the interests of the health and safety of our exhibitors, visitors, contractors and staff."

However, the Farnborough Airshow is not the first event to be canceled by the virus, and won't be the last. Surprisingly, the Singapore Air Show went ahead in February despite concern about the coronavirus outbreak in the region.

The first big event to be canceled was the ITB travel expo in Berlin due to take place at the start of March. The Aircraft Interior Expo due to take place at the end of the month has also been postponed, however, a new date has not been given yet.

What will we miss out on?

It is impossible to say exactly what exactly those who had been due to attend will miss out on. In fact, while the exhibitor list has been released, the list of aircraft at the show was not yet ready.

One highlight that would've been expected was the Boeing 777X. This is an aircraft that was supposed to debut at the Paris Air Show last year. However, following issues with the GE9X engines, the first flight of the aircraft didn't take place until earlier this year. That meant that it missed out on an appearance at the Dubai Airshow as well.

The other thing that we will likely miss out on is the huge flurry of orders that are typically announced at an air show. While one would hope that these orders would instead be spread across the year. However, given the state of the industry, I doubt many large orders will be placed any time soon.

Were you due to attend the Farnborough Airshow? Are you disappointed, or is it for the best? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!