It's back, bigger than ever. Humid, hectic, expensive, at times chaotic, the world's biggest air show has its drawbacks. But every two years, the industry's continuing addiction to Paris is evident

10 inevitables at Paris

Regular Paris-goers are bound to experience a certain amount of déjà vu. Here is our look at some Le Bourget inevitables. Plus ça change

President Sarkozy and his retinue hailing the flight of the Airbus A380 as if it was a French grand project that the British, Germans and Spanish happened to lend a hand with.

  • The mid-week, midday thunderburst turning the chalet line from dustbowl to quagmire in 20min.
  • Radcliffe's Law, which states that any two consecutive chalet appointments will be at opposite ends of the site.
  • The benefit of the 50km walked during your visit will be more than offset by the alcohol, rich cuisine and caffeine consumed.
  • The only thing more sinister and deadly than the latest piece of weaponry being discussed in the defence manufacturer's chalet will be the former special forces unarmed combat instructor guarding the door.
  • The marketing vice-president bemoaning that Paris has become too expensive to exhibit at for the fourth show running
  • The larger the stand, the less actual stuff to see on it.
  • Despite 30°C heat, the Brits will be in woollen Savile Row suits.
  • Boeing saying it never stores order announcements for Paris, before a customer coincidentally chooses that week to announce an order.
  • The Russians revealing their latest aircraft concept or piece of technologyHaven't we seen it somewhere before?

It may be exhausting and expensive, but the Paris air show remains the industry's flagship business event

Two years ago, the A380 was the toast of Paris - the soaring pin-up of Europe's aerospace prowess on the industry's biggest stage. This time, Airbus's travails are casting a shadow over Le Bourget as the effects of the manufacturer's aggressive cost-cutting programme are felt throughout Europe's supply chain. It will be a humbler Airbus on display than the company that two years ago, under Noël Forgeard, went into Paris with a brimming A380 orderbook, high hopes for its new A350 XWB, and still leading Boeing in deliveries and backlog.

For new chief executive Louis Gallois, Paris will be an opportunity to draw a line under Airbus's recent problems and prove to potential customers, investors and media that the A380 programme is on schedule (albeit the latest of several), that Airbus is serious about meeting its cost-cutting promises and that it can deliver a credible rival to Boeing's fast-selling 787.

Gallois may breathe a sigh of relief that it will be the more free market-inclined Nicolas Sarkozy rather than socialist rival Ségolène Royal delivering the opening presidential speech on 18 June. Royal is likely to have been more hostile to Gallois's plans to shut or sell French factories as part of Airbus's Power8 restructuring programme, although a flurry of activity just after his election shows that Sarkozy sees Airbus's problems as France's problems too.

Despite the focus on the airframer, Paris remains a truly global event, with a record number of exhibitors and aircraft on display at the 47th show. Those taking part include representatives of emerging aerospace nations, including Morocco, Tunisia and - back in the international fold - Libya, all hoping to benefit from a wave of global outsourcing by Western manufacturers to lower labour-cost economies.

US heavyweights continue to add muscle to Le Bourget, led, of course, by Boeing and the big defence contractors such as General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. In addition, Cessna is making a return to this year's show with seven aircraft.

US companies take up more than 22% of the available area, making them the single biggest exhibiting nation after France. Despite its commitment not to hold back order announcements for Paris, Boeing is always determined not to let Airbus steal its thunder completely. With the 787's first flight just weeks away and an ever-growing orderbook, it will be a "good news" show for Boeing. However, there will be those determined to expose a chink in Seattle's armour as the Dreamliner approaches its critical production phase.

Engine developments

Elsewhere on the civil side, engine developments will figure large at Paris this year, as the big four suppliers reveal more about their ambitions to power the next generation of narrowbodies. Order announcements apart, it is likely to be a quieter show for Bombardier and Embraer, barring a surprise announcement on the CSeries. Bombardier is focusing on its business aviation activities, although any big programme news is likely to be held back for the National Business Aviation Association convention in September.

Embraer too is concentrating on its growing business aircraft arm and ramping up production on its E-Jet range.

Sukhoi will use Paris to try to generate interest from non-Russian airlines in its Superjet 100 - the involvement by French industrial giants Safran and Thales in the programme will help.

Paris remains an important platform for showcasing defence hardware and systems to visiting top brass and government delegations. French manufacturer Dassault is keen to secure its first export order for the Rafale, and Eurofighter and Saab are both anxious to build on their existing overseas portfolio. With the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter at a critical stage as governments and programme chiefs haggle over the final international industrial workshare, there could be some significant updates.

Transport aircraft

Airlift and tankers will feature strongly. Airbus Military is becoming more bullish about prospects for the A400M on the international stage, as multinational disaster relief and peacekeeping missions increase in importance for governments around the world, and as production of the Boeing C-17 winds down. Europe's rival manufacturers of smaller transport aircraft, Italy's Alenia Aeronautica and Spain's EADS Casa, are also confident about the export potential of the C-27J and C-295, while, on tankers, Boeing and EADS continue to slug it out for the biggest prize, the US Air Force's KC-X refuelling aircraft contract.

Afternoon air displays are a big feature of the show. The Bell/Agusta BA609 tiltrotor, flying in a public display for the first time, and the Airbus A380 are among those that will show their prowess. Visitors will also be able to see the Dassault Falcon 7X business jet, Alenia Aermacchi M-346 advanced jet trainer, Gulfstream G450 and G550, Embraer E-190 and Legacy 600 large cabin business jet, and Bombardier Global 5000.

Big changes are under way in the global aerospace supply chain, as airframers look to outsource beyond their traditional heartlands and hand over greater responsibility to subcontractors. To reflect this, the show will feature a forum for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) to meet potential customers. Taking place in Hall 6, the event will comprise one-to-one "speed dating" meetings between around 250 SMEs and up to 100 primes or tier one contractors. Although similar events take place at smaller aerospace conventions, the forum is described by show organiser GIFAS as "totally new for an air show".

Also taking place is a careers fair, with 60 companies and training establishments exhibiting over the three public days (22-24 June) in the Concorde Hall to students, new graduates and other job-seekers.

Space race

This year's show also marks the 50th anniversary of the Russian Sputnik space programme, and with space tourism and the planned US Moon and Mars missions raising interest in spaceflight, the sector will feature prominently, with a "huge participation" from Russia's space industry.

While the Paris show remains, for many, an expensive and exhausting way to spend a week, its allure as the industry's biggest forum for doing business remains significant. Those who want to raise or maintain their profile and influence in a competitive marketplace stay away at their peril.

For more news, pictures and information about the Airbus A380 please visit our A380 page




Source: Flight International