The Hindu Business Line : Airbus, Boeing ready for battle at Paris

FROM the latest giant of the skies, the Airbus A-380, to the dwarfish Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and most that can fly in between have all been navigating from all corners of the world to Le Bourget, just outside the French capital, for the week-long Paris Air Show that takes off on Monday.

The star attraction of the 46th edition of the Air Show, which lasts till June 19, will be the Airbus' A-380 passenger jet that made a successful maiden flight on April 27. The aircraft is expected to make demonstration flights. Vying with it for air space will be the archrival Boeing's 777-200 LR, the latest in the 777 Jumbo line.

These will be but two of the 1,924 exhibitors at the Air Show, that debuted in 1908 at Paris' Grand Palais (Palace) as a mere adjunct to a motor show. But the very next year it was organised as a full-fledged air show with some 280 exhibitors showcasing the latest in balloons, engines and aircraft. In 1951, the show moved to Le Bourget, and quickly became a world event of note in the 1960s. Towards the end of that decade, in 1969, the Concorde prototype was unveiled at Le Bourget. In 1983, the show was stunned by the arrival from the US of a Boeing 747 carrying on its back the space shuttle Enterprise.

The Air Show soared till world aviation flew into airpockets of global economic slowdown, 9/11, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak and the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now, after three turbulent years, with the face of air travel brightening on the back of improved ticket sales and pruned costs, wind is back in the Air Show's sails. And encouraged by last edition's showing — 1,728 exhibitors from 41 countries, 202 aircraft on display, 94,159 trade visitors and 154 official delegations from 66 nations — the organisers of the 46th Air Show are preparing for a mega event that, as Mr Louis Le Portz, Commissioner General, writes in the show's Web site, will see such exceptional civilian and military aircraft as the Dassault Aviation's Falcon 7X, Embraer's EMB 190, Eurocopter's "large family", the Airbus A340-600, the Mirage and the Rafale, the EF Typhoon, the MiG29, the Sukhoi27, and the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, besides the European Galileo project, the Huygens probe and the Helios II and Syracuse satellites in the space sector.

As prominently as the aircraft, on display will be the latest in equipment, aeronautics and avionics by such names as Rolls-Royce, GE, SAFRAN, EADS, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics, Elbit, IAI, Dassault Aviation and Thales.

For the first time to be open to the general public on three consecutive days — June 17, 18 and 19 (the first four days, from June 13 to 16, being reserved for trade visitors) — the Air Show includes a large number of events, including flying displays projected on giant screens, events on the ground, an area showcasing light aircraft, and collectors' aircraft. According to an AFP report, over 3,00,000 visitors are expected and the on-site facilities include a 30,000 square-metre lawn beside the runway, and a 2,500-seat spectator grand-stand.

The Air Show has also become an occasion to give a facelift to Le Bourget, hallowed by the landing there of Charles Lindberg after his Trans-Atlantic flight of 1927. According to Aviation International News (ainonline.com), the Le Bourget airport is to undergo a major redevelopment and reorganisation aimed at providing 2.7 million square feet for executive charter operators and handling companies to set up new facilities or extend existing ones.

An integral part of the French capital's airport network, which also includes the Orly and Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle gateways as also the downtown Issy-les-Moulineaux heliport, Le Bourget is home to more than 100 aviation and aerospace-related companies, including several major executive charter firms, aircraft maintenance and refurbishment operations and pilot training facilities, which collectively employ some 4,200 people in full-time, skilled jobs. The site also accommodates a military zone and the French national aviation museum.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Etihad Airways: Promoting Abu Dhabi as a strategic cargo hub

Emirates Skycargo to launch dedicated freight services

Jet Air appoints law firm to file charges against US entity

Airbus, Boeing ready for battle at Paris

Weighing tonnage tax, one year later — Boost to fleet growth, but more needs to be done

Port sector in need of more autonomy

New Mangalore Port seeks dry dock facility

Collapse in ocean freight rates

Kerala: Transport workers' strike put off