Farnborough 2026: What We Saw and What It Could Mean for Costa Rica’s Aerospace Future

First, my apologies for the late post.

A few weeks have passed since the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, but sometimes it is worth taking a little time to process what you saw, the conversations you had, and—most importantly—what it could mean for the future.

I had the opportunity to attend Farnborough as part of the Costa Rican delegation, together with PROCOMER and the Costa Rican Aerospace Cluster.

For me, one of the biggest takeaways was simple:

Farnborough is much more than an airshow. It is a window into where the global aerospace industry is going.

Of course, seeing the latest commercial aircraft and business jets is always impressive. But what caught my attention even more was everything happening around the aircraft.

Advanced manufacturing. Artificial intelligence. Aviation technology. New propulsion systems. Sustainable aviation. Advanced air mobility. Maintenance and engineering. Software. Data. Space technologies. Supply-chain solutions.

The aerospace industry is becoming an increasingly interconnected ecosystem.

And that creates an interesting opportunity for Costa Rica.

From an aviation destination to an aerospace platform

Costa Rica is already well connected to international aviation.

At Aerologistica, we experience that every day from the operational side of the industry, supporting business aviation, airlines, flight departments, crews and operators arriving in our country.

But our opportunity as a country goes far beyond servicing the aircraft that land at our airports.

Costa Rica already has capabilities in advanced manufacturing, technology, engineering, services and highly specialized industries.

The next step is connecting those capabilities with the global aerospace supply chain.

That can include aircraft maintenance and technical services, aerospace components, advanced manufacturing, aviation software, engineering, ground support, logistics, training, data services, satellite-related technologies and other specialized aerospace activities.

Why the Costa Rican Aerospace Cluster matters

One of the things Farnborough makes very clear is that no country—and certainly no single company—builds an aerospace ecosystem alone.

Modern aerospace is international.

An aircraft can incorporate engineering, components, software, technology and services originating from companies located all over the world.

That creates space for Costa Rica.

Different members of the Costa Rican Aerospace Cluster bring different capabilities to the table. Some come from manufacturing, others from maintenance, engineering, technology, logistics or aircraft operations.

Aerologistica brings the operational aviation perspective.

Individually, we each represent one part of the industry.

Together, we can represent something much bigger: Costa Rica as an aerospace platform.

The opportunity ahead

Costa Rica does not need to manufacture an entire aircraft to become an important participant in the global aerospace industry.

We need to identify the areas where our talent, location, experience, infrastructure and existing industrial capabilities give us a competitive advantage.

We can attract aerospace companies.

We can attract investment.

We can develop specialized talent.

We can create partnerships with international aerospace companies.

And we can generate high-value employment and new opportunities for Costa Rican businesses.

This is why participating in events such as Farnborough matters.

It gives Costa Rican companies an opportunity not only to promote what we already do, but also to understand where the industry is heading and where Costa Rica can position itself within that future.

Farnborough was not the destination

It was another step in building something much bigger.

For Aerologistica, Farnborough reinforced something we have believed for years:

Costa Rica’s relationship with aviation can become much bigger than the aircraft arriving at our airports.

We have the opportunity to build an industry around them.

And perhaps that was my biggest takeaway from Farnborough 2026:

Costa Rica does not need to become the biggest aerospace country. We need to identify where we can become one of the best.

That is the opportunity ahead for the Costa Rican Aerospace Cluster.

Now the work is turning those conversations, connections and ideas into real opportunities for Costa Rica.