These are the 9 biggest stories people will be talking about at the 2018 Farnborough Airshow

Usually, Farnborough and Paris serve as the annual midpoint of the sales calendar for companies like Airbus and Boeing. For American sports fans, think of it as aviation equivalent of the all-star break.

Through June, Boeing is ahead with 460 net orders while Airbus has taken just 206 net orders.

This is the first year in more than three decades that Airbus will be without its legendary sales chief John Leahy who retired at the end of 2017.

Over the years, hundreds of billions of dollars in orders and commitments have been placed at the Farnborough air show. This year is expected to be no different.

In the days preceding the show, JetBlue and Vistara both placed major orders for new aircraft. JetBlue placed an order for 60 Airbus A220s with an option for another 60 aircraft. India's Vistara placed an order for 13 Airbus A320neo family airliner and six Boeing 787 Dreamliner with a total list value of $3.1 billion.

Get ready for more announcements!

Earlier this month, Boeing and Embraer announced the formation of a $4.8 billion joint venture centered around the Brazilian plane maker's commercial aircraft business. Even though the JV won't be finalized for at least another year, the news sent shockwaves across the airline industry.

Farnborough will be the first major public appearance for the two companies post announcement.

On July 1, Airbus completed its takeover of Bombardier's critically acclaimed but financially challenged C Series airliner program. On Tuesday, Airbus officially rebranded the Canadian jet the A220.

Hours after the rebranding ceremony, JetBlue placed an order for 60 of the planes. Farnborough will be the first public appearance for the newly christened A220.

Although highly unlikely, Farnborough could see Boeing greenlight the long awaited replacement for its under-appreciated 757. The New Mid-market Aircraft or NMA has been the talk of the aviation industry for a few years now.

The NMA is expected to be small widebody jet positioned above the largest narrowbody Boeing 737MAX and the 787-8 Dreamliner.

Unfortunately, the aircraft isn't expected to launch until the middle of the next decade, which it's unlikely, for any big moves to happen this year.

One of the reasons why Boeing has been looking into a 757 replacement is the success of the Airbus A321neo and the long-range A321neo LR. The A321neo LR has allowed airlines to push the boundaries of their long-haul routes in a way unseen since the Boeing 757 went out of production more than a decade ago.

However, one source tells Business Insider that the A321neo LR has not quite delivered as much range as some of its customers would like.

Consequently, there are rumors that Airbus my introduce an even longer version of the plane. Airbus declined to comment on the matter.

HiFly is scheduled to show off its first Airbus A380. The ex-Singapore Airlines jet is also the first second-hand Airbus Superjumbo to find a home. German finance firm Dr. Peters Group announced recently that two of its early-build A380s will be sent to the scrap yard to be parted out.

It will be interesting to see the industry's reaction to the prospected of second-hand A380s and whether another carrier may join the club.

The Mitsubishi MRJ is Japan's first indigenous jetliner and the first commercial airliner to emerge from the nation in more than five decades. However, the program has been beset by years of delays.

According to Aboulafia, the MRJ's situation may be further complicated by Boeing's joint venture with Embraer. Mitsubishi is a long-time Boeing supplier and designed the MRJ to be a regional jet complement to Boeing's mainline aircraft. However, Embraer's portfolio of regional jets is now in Boeing's lineup. So how will this affect Mitsubishi?