Orbis UK has been appointed as the official charity partner of the Farnborough International Airshow, one of the world’s most prestigious aerospace events.

This partnership aligns Orbis’s global mission to fight avoidable blindness with the Farnborough International Airshow’s focus on sustainability, innovation, and the future of aviation.

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital is a unique state-of-the-art ophthalmic teaching hospital, on board a converted DC-10 carbo plane. (Photo Credit: Orbis / Geoff Oliver Bugbee)

It will support Orbis’s work to prevent and treat avoidable blindness worldwide through the Flying Eye Hospital, a fully equipped ophthalmic teaching hospital on board an aircraft, alongside the use of artificial intelligence and global vision programmes.

As one of the world’s leading aviation events, the Airshow brings together thousands of industry leaders, innovators, media representatives and visitors, providing a prominent platform to raise awareness of Orbis’s sight-saving work.

Through this collaboration, Orbis will showcase its impact in delivering treatment and training worldwide, while also promoting dialogue around the intersection of aviation, innovation and global health.

Rebecca Cronin, CEO Orbis UK: “We are honoured to be selected as the official charity partner of the Farnborough International Airshow. This partnership allows us to share our mission with a global audience and build meaningful connections that will help us reach more people around the world in need of eye care.”

Joe Muir, Aerospace Commercial Director, Farnborough International, said: “We are proud to partner with Orbis once again and support their incredible work tackling avoidable blindness worldwide. Their innovative approach aligns closely with the spirit of the airshow, and we are driven to support their objective of building meaningful relationships and inspiring collaboration to make a tangible difference.”

Orbis will showcase its work throughout the five-day event in Farnborough International Airshow’s brand-new exhibition hall.

L-R: Local eye doctors and surgeons in Ghana celebrate completing training on the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital in 2025. Rhoda had her sight saved from a cataract on the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital in 2024 in Zambia, allowing her to return to work and support her family. Buyandelger received a sight-saving cataract operation on board the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital in Mongolia in 2024. (Photo Credit: Orbis / Geoff Oliver Bugbee)