The organizers of the Paris Air Show expect a "strong participation", both exhibitors and visitors, for the return of this great biennial celebration of aeronautics, canceled in 2021 due to the pandemic. 320,000 visitors are expected from 19 to 25 June alongside 2500 exhibitors and 158 aircraft, several of which will perform demonstrations. It will be "indisputably the show of recovery" after Covid-19, said Wednesday Guillaume Faury, president of the Groupement des industries françaises aéronautiques et spatiales (Gifas), organizer of the event. "It remains the unmissable event for all enthusiasts and curious about everything aeronautical and space, from aircraft to rockets," added Guillaume Faury, also executive chairman of Airbus, at a press conference.
Commercial aircraft (Airbus, Boeing, ATR, Embraer), business (Dassault, Gulfstream) combat aircraft (Rafale, F-35, Eurofighter) and various helicopters will be exhibited on the tarmac around the former Le Bourget terminal north of Paris. The first four days will be reserved for professionals.
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125.000 m2 total area
On 125,000 m2 of total surface, or nearly 18 football fields, visitors will also be able to admire Spitfires and Mustangs from the Second World War, as well as the B-1 Lancer supersonic strategic bomber, brought by the US Department of Defense. This edition will indeed be marked by a "strong participation" of the United States, with 425 exhibitors, the second contingent in volume after the 1130 French, from the giants of the sector to SMEs through many start-ups. Le Bourget also wants to open a window on the future of the sector at a time when projects for flying taxis and other machines promising to revolutionize air mobility, in particular by decarbonizing it.
While global air traffic has almost returned to its pre-crisis level, the sector remains handicapped by supply chain problems, but also of manpower, and Gifas is counting on this showcase to make it known that its 440 companies need to recruit 25,000 people this year, targeting young people and job seekers. who will benefit from free admission. Determined to fight against prejudices about aviation, made of a "very small minority", the curator of the show, Patrick Daher, promised a "prodigious party", which will nevertheless be surrounded by drastic security measures.
Its officials spoke of an "appropriate response" to the risk of disruption by climate activists, who recently attacked the Geneva Business Aviation Show.