Paris Air Show

Paris Air Show
Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace, Paris-Le Bourget

The first day of the 2007 Paris Air Show
Status Active
Genre Commercial air show
Dates June
Frequency Odd years
Venue Paris–Le Bourget Airport
Location(s) Le Bourget, Paris (since 1953)
Coordinates 48°57′20″N 2°25′57″E / 48.9555°N 2.4324°E / 48.9555; 2.4324Coordinates: 48°57′20″N 2°25′57″E / 48.9555°N 2.4324°E / 48.9555; 2.4324
Country France
Established 1909 (1909)
Attendance 315,572 (2013)
Activity Aerobatic displays
Static displays
Organized by SIAE (GIFAS)
Website
paris-air-show.com

The Paris Air Show (Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace de Paris-Le Bourget, Salon du Bourget) claims to be the world's calendar-oldest air show.[1][2] Established in 1909, it has been held every odd year since 1949 at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France. The 2015 Paris Air Show, for example, held 15–21 June 2015, was the 51st.[3]

The format is similar to the Farnborough International Airshow in Britain and the ILA Berlin Air Show, both of which are staged in alternate years to the Paris show. The Paris event starts with four professional days closed to the general public; and then on Friday, Saturday and Sunday the public, including children, are allowed in.

The Paris Air Show is organised by the French aerospace industry's primary representative body, the Groupement des industries françaises aéronautiques et spatiales (GIFAS). According to GIFAS, the 2011 Paris show attracted 151,500 professional visitors and 204,000 members of the general public, and 3,250 journalists from 80 countries.[4]

It is a large commercial event, with a major purpose being to demonstrate military and civilian aircraft to potential customers. It claims to be the most prestigious aircraft exposition in the world. Major aircraft sales contracts are announced by manufacturers during the show. All major international manufacturers, as well as representatives of the military forces of many countries, attend the Paris Air Show.

History

The first Salon de la locomotion aérienne, 1909, Grand Palais, Paris.

The Paris Air Show traces its history back to the first decade of the 20th century. In 1908 a section of the Paris Motor Show was dedicated to aircraft.[5] The following year, a dedicated air show was held at the Grand Palais[6] from 25 September to 17 October, during which 100,000 visitors turned out to see products and innovations from 380 exhibitors.[7] There were four further shows before the First World War.[8] The show restarted in 1919, and from 1924 it was held every two years before being interrupted again by the Second World War. It restarted in 1946 and since 1949, has been held in every odd year.

SNCASE SE.212 Durandal experimental jet/rocket fighter aircraft at the 1957 Air Salon

The air show continued to be held at the Grand Palais, and from 1949 flying demonstrations were staged at Paris Orly Airport.[9] In 1953, the show was relocated from the Grand Palais to Le Bourget.[10] Since the 1970s, the show emerged as the main international reference of the aeronautical sector.[11]

1989

Antonov An-225 Mriya with Buran at Le Bourget, 1989

The "38th Paris International Air and Space Show" or "1989 Paris Air Show", featured a variety of aerospace technology from NATO and Warsaw Pact nations.[12] A Mikoyan MiG-29 crashed during a demonstration flight with no loss of life. The then-Soviet space shuttle Buran and its carrier, Antonov An-225 Mriya, was displayed at this show.[12]

1993

The show attracted 1,611 exhibitors from 39 countries and nearly 300,000 visitors attended the show.[13]

1995

A stealth B-2 Spirit in 1995

The 41st Paris Air Show main attraction was the stealth B-2 Spirit bomber, along the Tupolev Tu-160 and Sukhoi Su-32 bombers.[14] The flying display included the Bell-Boeing V-22 tilt-rotor, the Airbus Beluga Super Transporter, the Eurofighter 2000, the Rockwell-MBB X-31 high-manoeuvrability fighter demonstrator, the McDonnell Douglas C-17 military transport, the Eurocopter EC135 civil helicopter, the Sukhoi Su-35 fighter, and the Daimler-Benz Aerospace Dornier 328-100, and for the first time on static the Boeing 777, Saab Gripen, Atlas Cheetah Mirage and Cessna Citation X.[13]

2009

Airbus A300 ZERO-G in 2009

The 48th International Paris Air Show took place in 2009 and marked a hundred years of technological innovation in aeronautics and space conquest. The event was held from 15 to 21 June, at Le Bourget. A memorial service was held for the victims of Air France Flight 447.[15]

2011

A380 takes off for the crowds, 2011

The 2011 show was the 49th presentation, and hosted over 2,100 international exhibitors in 28 international pavilions. A total of 150 aircraft were on display, including the solar-electric aircraft Solar Impulse.[16]

A demo A380 was damaged the day before the exhibition opened and needed a replacement;[17][18] while the new Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft had an engine failure, but could still perform some demonstration flights.[18]

2015

The 2015 show, held from June 15 to June 21, 2015, saw the new Dassault Falcon 8X, Airbus A350 XWB and Bombardier CS300 and received 351,584 visitors, 2,303 exhibitors over 122,500 square metres of exhibition space, 4,359 journalists from 72 countries and 130 billion euros in purchases and "cemented its position as the world's largest event dedicated to the aerospace industry".[19] During the show, Airbus Helicopters announced a successor to the Super Puma, called the Airbus Helicopters X6.[20]

2017

Airbus Helicopters X3-derived RACER model, 2017

The 52nd Air Show was held from 19 to 25 June 2017, with 2,381 exhibitors from 48 countries, showing 140 aircraft including for the first time the Airbus A321neo, Airbus A350-1000, Boeing 787-10, Boeing 737 MAX 9, Kawasaki P-1, Mitsubishi MRJ90 and Lockheed Martin F-35. Inaugurated by French President Emmanuel Macron, it was visited by 290 official delegations from 98 countries and 7 international organizations, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, 3,450 journalists, 142,000 trade visitors and 180,000 general public visitors. Announcements for 934 commercial aircraft orders and purchasing commitments were worth a catalogue value of US$115 billion.[21]

There were 1,226 order and commitments : 352 firm orders, 699 letters of intent or memorandums of understanding, 40 options and 135 options letters of intent; plus 229 conversions of existing orders, mainly for the Boeing 737-10 MAX variant launched at the show. There were mainly narrowbodies with 1,021 orders or commitments against 76 widebodies, 48 regional jets and 81 turboprop airliners. With 766, mainly preliminary deals, Boeing led Airbus with 331, while Bombardier Aerospace had 64, Embraer 48 and ATR Aircraft 17. Nearly half of those order and commitments was from aircraft lessors with 513, and where the operator was known, 43% came from Asia-Pacific, 27% from the middle east, 10% from Europe as from South America, 7% from Africa and 3% from North America.[22]

2019

The 53rd Air Show will be held from 17 to 23 June 2019.[21]

Accidents

Among major accidents, there were two crashes of Convair B-58 Hustler bombers, in 1961 (during aerobatics) and 1965 (during landing).[23]

1973 crash

At the Paris Air Show on June 3, 1973, the second Tupolev Tu-144 production aircraft (registration SSSR-77102) crashed during its display. It stalled while attempting a rapid climb. Trying to pull out of the subsequent dive, the aircraft broke up and crashed, destroying 15 houses and killing all six on board and eight on the ground; a further sixty people received serious injuries.

The cause of this accident remains controversial. Theories include: the Tu-144 climbed to avoid a French Mirage chase plane whose pilot was attempting to photograph it; that changes had been made by the ground engineering team to the auto-stabilisation circuits to allow the Tu-144 to outperform the Concorde in the display circuit; and that the crew were attempting a manoeuvre and to outshine the Concorde.

1989

A Mikoyan MiG-29 crashed during a demonstration flight with no loss of life.[12]

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Bill Carey. "U.S. Military a No-show At 2013 Paris Air Show". AIN Online. Retrieved 2013-09-07.
  2. ↑ Allison Barrie. "Paris Air Show, the world’s oldest aviation expo, opens big in France". Fox News. Retrieved 2013-09-07.
  3. ↑ "Salon du Bourget — Gifas". gifas.asso.fr. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "Chiffres clés (salon 2011)" (PDF). Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  5. ↑ "The First Paris Aeronautical Salon" Flight January 2, 1909.
  6. ↑ "Paris Flight Show -First Impressions of an Artistic and Fascinating Display" Flight October 2, 1909
  7. ↑ "Show History". Paris-air-show.com. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  8. ↑ "special paris | salon | side entrance | 1912 | 0990 | Flight Archive". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  9. ↑ http://www.entrevoisins.org/aeroport/bourget/Le-Salon-du-Bourget-histoire.aspx
  10. ↑ http://www.parisaeroport.fr/groupe/groupe-et-strategie/histoire/1945_a_1960
  11. ↑ http://www.promosalons.com/salon-du-bourget.html
  12. 1 2 3 dodmedia id:DF-ST-90-07206
  13. 1 2 "Preparing for Paris". Flight International. 10 May 1995.
  14. ↑ Barry James (June 12, 1995). "U.S. Bomber Steals the Paris Air Show". The New York Times.
  15. ↑ "Religious ceremonies for the victims of flight AF 447". Air France. 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
  16. ↑ "Salon du Bourget 15/21 juin 2015". salon-du-bourget.fr. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  17. ↑ Un A380 heurte un bâtiment au Bourget ("A380 clips a building"), TF1 News, 19 juin 2011.
  18. 1 2 L'A380 volera tout de même au salon du Bourget ("A380 will still fly at Paris Air Show"), La Tribune, 20 juin 2011.
  19. ↑ "2015 Show report". GIFAS.
  20. ↑ Airbus Reveals Super Puma Successor
  21. 1 2 "52nd International Paris Air Show Paris-Le Bourget 19-25 June 2017" (PDF) (Press release). GIFAS. 28 June 2017.
  22. ↑ "Aircraft orders report - Paris Air Show 2017". Flightglobal. June 2017.
  23. ↑ E. F. Rybak, J. Gruszczyński: Convair B-58 Hustler. Cz.II, in: Nowa Technika Wojskowa 3/1999, p. 38 (in Polish)

Media related to 2007 Paris Air Show at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.