Nocatee, Florida — Governor Ron DeSantis returned from a weeklong international business development mission to the United Kingdom with a set of agreements and corporate commitments the governor's office says will expand Florida's aerospace, aviation and higher-education ties with Britain, according to an announcement Tuesday from the Executive Office of the Governor.
The mission, which ran July 20 through July 24, included the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow and stops in London, Edinburgh, St. Andrews and Belfast. It built on a 2023 memorandum of understanding between Florida and the United Kingdom, and the delegation included the state's secretaries of commerce, transportation and state, along with the insurance commissioner, Space Florida's president and several university presidents.
Among the headline announcements: aerospace manufacturer Relativity Space committed to expanding its operations on Florida's Space Coast, a move the governor's office said would bring major new capital spending and add thousands of well-paid positions. Space Florida also signed a memorandum of understanding with the UK Space Agency, and the governor named five more SpaceTech startups to the next round of an investment-readiness program Space Florida runs with Seraphim Space. SelectFlorida reported more than $300 million in direct sales by Florida companies exhibiting at the airshow, based on initial figures.
In aviation, British Airways will add 18 supplementary flights between Orlando and London Heathrow from July 21 through August 29, raising its Orlando-London service from 14 to 17 weekly flights during that period. The Florida Department of Transportation also announced a partnership with Eve Air Mobility tied to Florida's selection as one of eight proposals in a federal pilot program integrating electric air taxis and other advanced aircraft.
On the academic side, the University of Florida signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and Florida International University signed a letter of friendship with Heriot-Watt University during a ceremony marking the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations." The governor also met with Lloyd's of London leadership on insurance and reinsurance collaboration.
