After a four-year hiatus, the Paris Air Show returns on Monday, with the aerospace sector recovering from the Covid-19 outbreak but under pressure to reduce its carbon footprint.
The biennial event, which was postponed in 2021 when the coronavirus swept the region, has been dubbed the “recovery airshow” by its organizers.
Le Bourget airport south of Paris is once again attracting the aerospace industry as aircraft manufacturers handle hundreds of orders and airlines prepare for a nearly record-breaking number of passengers this year.
A rise in military spending as a result of Russia’s conflict in Ukraine may be advantageous for aerospace defense companies.
With more than 2,500 companies coming up to display their newest aircraft, drones, helicopters, and innovations like flying taxis, Le Bourget provides a platform for business announcements.
The chairman of the French aerospace industry group GIFAS and CEO of Airbus Guillaume Faury referred to it as “the return of the good old times of the excitement of the show.”
Approximately 320,000 attendees are anticipated during the course of the week-long event, which will take place across 125,000 square meters of display area, or almost 18 soccer fields.
Le Bourget is a significant sales event for the civil and defense industries, together with the Farnborough airshow in England, which takes place every odd-numbered year.
Competition between Airbus and rival Boeing is fierce when it comes to announcing orders for expensive aircraft.
At least 158 aircraft, including the most recent long-haul commercial jets and the F-35, the most recent US stealth fighter, will be on exhibit.
With 425 exhibitors, the United States will have a significant presence, helped by the resurgence of interest in military hardware following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
There will be companies from 46 other countries, but not Russia, which is under sanctions.
China, which only recently removed its Covid limitations, will also be represented.
The C919, a domestic medium-haul passenger jet designed to compete with the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX, is not being displayed by China.
