As the 52nd Paris Airshow opened on June 19th, or to give it its official title, the Salon international de l’aéronautique et de l’espace de Paris-Le Bourget, focus this year is more likely to be on delivery of planes as opposed to orders. As usual, much of the spotlight will be on aerospace industry giants Boeing and Airbus.
While it is acknowledged that Airbus has been outselling Boeing in the highly competitive commercial jet sector, Boeing has been more productive when it comes to delivery, though the plane manufacturers have struggled to deliver orders on time with both experiencing supply chain problems.
According to Peter Barrett, SMBC Aviation Capital Chief Executive, between them Boeing and Airbus have 12,000 jets currently on order, which equates to approximately 10 years of work, so delivery is likely to be more a point of scrutiny. “Orders are not what the industry should be focusing on now,” he says, adding: “We – and the industry – have been saying to manufacturers to focus on execution and quality and don’t give us any surprises.”
With regard to the appearance of new jets, Boeing will unveil its 737-Max-10, which is a larger version of the single-aisle 737. Boeing is keen to impress as Airbus is outselling its US single-aisle aircraft rival with the latest version of the A320; the French manufacturer is also talking about rolling out a long-range A321 to capture that sector of the market vacated by Boeing’s 757.
Disappointingly, neither China’s Comac C919, nor the Russian United Aircraft Corporation’s MC-21 will be present at the show, but these two jets still have to be considered competitors against the Boeing/Airbus duopoly. However, Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will be debuting its MRJ regional 70 to 100-seat market jet, which is still struggling with delays and unlikely to enter into service with launch customer ANA until 2020.
Rolls-Royce will be looking to the show to help it continue on its route to profitability again. Despite the fact there will be few significant announcements as opposed to the usual handful, there have been ongoing talks with Boeing about its MoM (middle of the market) project if it gets the go-ahead as a replacement for the 757.
Established in 1909, the Paris Airshow has been held every two years since 1949 and is the world’s largest event dedicated to the aerospace industry. The 52nd holding of the airshow runs from today until Sunday 25th June, with doors opening to the general public on Friday 23rd June.
