Paris show’s bumpy ride
AEROPLANE makers expect to be displaying heavily cut order lists at the Paris air show this week as the recession bites further into the travel industry.
With airlines set to lose up to $9bn (£5.5bn) this year, aircraft and engine makers expect many orders to be cancelled or deferred. The recent Air France Airbus crash is expected to cast a big shadow over the event.
The biennial Paris air show alternates with the Farnborough air show in the UK and is seen as one of the most important in the industry’s calendar.
Usually aircraft manufacturers use the famous event at Le Bourget airport to reveal their new products and trump each other’s order lists.
But this year there is unlikely to be much to boast about. Despite the downturn, airlines are mostly choosing to negotiate later deliveries rather than cancel orders outright.