Paris Air Show opens doors ‘full of uncertainties and questions’

THE Paris Air Show, the world’s premiere aviation showcase, opened to the public, flying buffs and professionals yesterday in the grip of the worst crisis in aviation history.

At a media preview of the biennial show at Le Bourget airport, near Paris, the gloom was palpable despite a three-ring circus atmosphere of roaring aerobatics overhead as hulking planes were towed around the fairgrounds.

Dassault Aviation chief executive Charles Edelstenne sounded the alarm in giving the first of many scheduled news conferences at what is known as the Salon du Bourget.

“This 45th Salon du Bourget opens its doors in an atmosphere full of uncertainties and questions,” Mr Edelstenne said, contrasting the euphoria of previous years with today’s unfavourable conditions.

On the first day of the 2001 show, Dassault announced a huge order of 100 Falcon planes from the US airline United Airlines. Three months later came the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, and United Airlines cancelled the order.

The 9/11 attacks were the first major blow to the airlines, already suffering from an economic slowdown. Rising terrorism, anthrax attacks and the mysterious SARS virus epidemic piled up the anxiety.

The bitter traces of the US-led war in Iraq and its vigorous French-led opposition can be seen in the sharply reduced US participation at the air show this year. For the first time, no US military plane will perform in the sky.

In a fresh sign of persisting European-US tensions, French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie announced Saturday in the French newspaper Le Monde that she had asked for “a study of the risks” that US investments could represent in companies linked to European defence.

Show organisers have acknowledged that the scope of this year’s show pales in comparison with the record-setting 2001 event.

Not a single order was announced at the media preview. Boeing said it was happy to say it saw a pick-up in deliveries of new planes in 2005.

All eyes were focused on Sunday’s opening, when the show’s premise meets the reality of industry insiders and potential clients.

The traditional European-US rivalry between Airbus and Boeing was expected take centre stage.

Both companies were to hold news conferences last night, and are expected to announce orders at some point during the week-long show.

According to the magazine Flight International, Emirates Airlines of the United Arab Emirates will announce a blockbuster order split between the rivals.

The company will order 26 Boeings and 33 Airbuses, plus a number of options, at a catalogue price of about €4.2 billion for Boeing and three billion dollars for Airbus, it said.

Another Gulf region airline, Qatar Airways, is expected to transform into a firm order negotiations for the purchase of two future superjumbo A380s from Airbus.