LONDON, July 14. /ITAR-TASS/. Major international airshow opens in London’s suburb, Farnborough, on Monday without the main part of the Russian delegation, as they did not get visas because of disagreement between the two governments over the Ukraine crisis.

None of the Russian government officials were invited to the show because of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, the British Foreign Office told ITAR-TASS on Friday. Neither could Russian companies’ representatives obtain visas, which disrupted negotiations and contracts.

Proxies of the Russian ministry of industry and trade, space and aviation agencies, as well as state aviation corporations Irkut, MiG, Oboronprom, Russian Helicopters and Sukhoi had been planning to visit the exhibition and hold talks with a number of international participants, press officer of the Russian embassy to the UK Alexey Dobrinsky told ITAR-TASS.

According to the British media, this year Russia presented less of the usually popular military aircraft and focused on civil aviation and space. Russia will be represented by 74 organizations against 339 companies from Britain and 294 companies from the US.

The show’s organizers say this year’s exhibition on the airport’s field will present a record high number of exhibits - 70 aircraft and helicopters, with 23 more machines to take part in demo flights.

Experts predict the two major corporations, the European Airbus and the US Boeing, can sign more than 500 contracts worth more than $50 billion in Farnborough. The companies will present the largest passenger aircraft A-380 and its competitor Boeing-787 Dreamliner respectively.

The international premiere of the US fifth generation fighter F-35 Lightning -2 by Lockheed Martin was expected to become the show’s highlight but the US military command has not yet lifted the ban on F-35 flights after an engine fire on one of the aircraft at Eglin air vase in Florida on June 23. The British Ministry of Defense expressed hope F-35 would come to Farnborough later.

The biennial show is one of the world’s major markets for civil and military aircraft. The exhibition that will run until July 20 will be open for professionals in the first five days and for public in the last two days.