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SHOW PREVIEW PARIS AIRSHOW
Plane Speaking
As the Queen Mother of all air shows begins in Paris, the stage is set for a major battle among airframers
By Jay Menon
THE 51ST EDITION OF PARIS AIR SHOW holding back several order announcements
promises to be one of world’s most ahead of the Paris Air Show.
sustainable events. In the days leading At the 2013 Paris Air Show, while
up to the Le Bourget airport, talks are Airbus wrote orders for 466 airplanes
abuzz that the biennial event will witness valued at $68.7 billion, Boeing took 442
significant commercial aviation orders. orders valued at $66 billion.
Leading airframers Boeing Co and Airbus “We can be optimistic to expect similar
Group are attending the show, scheduled order levels again this year,” says an
for June 15-21, with high hopes of getting aviation market expert, adding, “While
a big chunk of orders for their single-aisle there are no suggestions that the Paris
commercial aircraft. Air Show will see a repeat of the frenzied
As Fabrice Bregier, Chief Executive ordering of the past few years, several
Officer of Airbus, says confidently, “It will be new orders are expected, including Qatar
Airbus Group will showcase
its innovative range of a good show”... And Airbus could announce Airways and Etihad Airways, as the Gulf
commercial and military several hundred airplane orders. carriers continue their expansionist ways.”
aircraft, space systems and Rival Boeing is no doubt expecting the For Airbus, the 2015 Paris Air Show
emerging technologies at Le same type of activity, and observers are comes just over a decade since the A380
Bourget indicating that the U.S. aircraft maker is made its first flight. More than 80 million
32 ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS MAY / JUNE 2015 WWW.ASIANAIRLINES-AIRPORTS.COM
