In the first three months of 2026, Lombardy’s aerospace industry exported goods worth approximately 710,8 million euros, up +47,4% compared with the same period of the previous year. These figures, compiled by the Confindustria Varese Research Centre, were presented by the Lombardia Aerospace Cluster (LAC) at the "Farnborough International Airshow 2026" (July 20-24), representing an ecosystem of more than 200 companies and nearly 22.000 employees, generating 6,3 billion euros in local added value and accounting on its own for approximately one third of Italy’saerospace exports.

The top two trading partners for Lombardy’s aerospace industry at the beginning of 2026 were the United States (133,4 million euros) and the United Kingdom (103,9 million). Saudi Arabia rose to third place, with 61,9 millioneuros, a sharp increase compared with the results recorded in the first quarters of 2025 and 2024, followed by Brazilin fourth place (50 million) and Türkiye in fifth (44,4 million). They were followed by Norway (36,2 million), Oman (35,1 million), Australia (25,4 million), the United Arab Emirates (23,2 million) and Poland (18,6 million).

For a complete and more detailed picture of the sector’s performance, however, it is necessary to consider theconsolidated data for the whole of 2025, when Lombardy’s aerospace industry exported goods worth almost 2,9billion euros, an increase of 50% compared with the previous year.

The ranking of the main destinations for Lombardy’s aerospace exports in 2025 was headed by the North Americanmarket, led by the United States, the sector’s leading export destination overall, with 516 million euros. The United Kingdom ranked second (305,5 million), followed by Poland in third place (275,6 million). Next came Saudi Arabia (154,1 million), Norway (139,7 million), Brazil (132,2 million), India (117,1 million), Australia (113,7 million), Türkiye (99,5 million) and France (99,1 million).

The collective stand of the Cluster, supported also for this international mission by the Varese Chamber of Commerce, was visited not only by Raffaele Cattaneo (Undersecretary to the Presidency of Regione Lombardia forInternational and European Relations) and Guido Guidesi (Regional Minister for Economic Development ofRegione Lombardia), but also by Armando De Crinito, Director General of the Economic Development Directorate of Regione Lombardia, and Maurizio Villa from the International Relations Directorate. Representing Confindustria Varese was Paola Margnini, Coordinator of the Association’sStudy Centre, Competitiveness and Internationalisation Areas.

Regional companies attending Farnborough with the Lombardia Aerospace Cluster

The delegation comprised 24 Lombardy-based small and medium-sized enterprises attending the event in London together with the Lombardia Aerospace Cluster. Thirteen were hosted at the institutional stand 1437 in Hall 1: Algra, Aviochem, Caast, CE2K, Gb Barberi, Isati, Italiana Ponti Radio, Merletti, Officina Malnati, Pariani, PMP, ServiziConfindustria Varese and Technosprings Italia. Surrounding the collective area were the individual stands ofAerea, Ala, AMM, Ase, Fimac, Jointek, Laga, Logic, Mecaer, Secondo Mona and Weisstechnik. 

Leonardo, oneof the district’s major players, was also present at the London exhibition with its own chalet. This year, the companiestaking part within the Cluster’s collective stand benefited from funding under the Lombardy Region’s Regional Programme financed through the European Regional Development Fund 2021–2027, PR ERDF 2021–2027.