Business aircraft profile at Paris, on the heels of the com- pany’s acquisition by Onex Partners and OEMs gear GS Capital Partners. It will display its Hawker 4000, 450XP, 400XP and King up for Europe’s Air 350ER. Gulfstream will be bringing examples second show of its G150, G200, G450 and G550 to Le Bourget. The U.S. firm’s strong presence is markedly different from its approach by Charles Alcock to the Farnborough Air Show, where it focuses only on government and special This year poses a stiff test for the missions applications of its aircraft. debate about whether business aircraft Bombardier has committed to display- manufacturers need to be at both the ing its new Challenger 605 and Learjet annual European Business Aviation Con- 60XR models (the latter making a Paris vention & Exhibition (EBACE) and the show debut). The OEM might also opt biennial Paris Air Show. The gates will to bring a Global Express XRS. open at the French capital’s Le Bourget The very light jets are conspicuous by Airport on June 18, just 16 working days their absence from the Paris 2007 roster. after EBACE closed in Geneva on May 24. However, would-be supersonic business N I
The rapid rise of EBACE has un- jet builder Aerion will be at Le Bourget A B
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doubtedly posed a threat to the business touting its ambitious program. Grob will E G O
aviation content of the Paris show. be one of the few business aircraft manu- R However, the Paris 2007 exhibitor list facturers to forgo the Paris show and Organizers expect 220 aircraft on the static display at Le Bourget, down slightly from the 238 in 2005. suggests that the still booming Euro- exhibit only at EBACE. pean market for business and private The corporate/utility turboprop sector Dassault and its partners. The new Airbus space and defense industry is the next aircraft merits the considerable extra ef- will be represented in Paris through the A380 super-large airliner is back two years biggest block of exhibitors, followed by fort and expense associated with the Le presence of EADS Socata with its TBM after it caused a sensation at the 2005 event the UK, Germany, Italy, Israel and Rus- Bourget show. 700 and TBM 850 singles, as well as and four months ahead of its first delivery sia. First-time exhibiting nations include Unsurprisingly given its home field Pilatus and its PC-12 and Piaggio Aero to launch customer Singapore Airlines. Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. advantage, Dassault Aviation will lead with its Avanti II. Boeing is not in a position to fete its One new feature of this year’s show the pack of business jets in Paris. Its Civil helicopters will be in plentiful next big idea, the 787 Dreamliner, because is the Business & Technology Forum, newly certified Falcon 7X trijet will star supply at Le Bourget, thanks largely to the Paris Air Show takes place three weeks essentially an opportunity for prospec- in the Le Bourget flying display on the Eurocopter, which is showing off just before the airplane’s July 8 planned first tive small- and medium-sized suppliers show’s opening day, and it will be accom- about its entire current product line. Bell flight. However, the U.S. airframer surely and partners to meet the right people at panied on the static line by its Falcon Helicopter, AgustaWestland and Sikorsky goes into the Paris show in better spirits OEMs further up the aerospace food 2000EX and 900EX siblings. will also be at the show in force. than its European rival, bolstered by im- chain. The aim is to set up some 5,000 Cessna is returning to the Paris Air Newly elected French President pressive early sales for the 787 and the face-to-face meetings involving 2,000 Show after a seven-year absence that began Nicolas Sarkozy will open the sold-out knowledge that Airbus is still struggling people from 500 different companies.J when the EBACE show was launched event, one that lays a fair claim to being to restore credibility that has been battered in 2001. The company is returning with the world’s largest airshow, with some by serious program delays and a flurry of All the Paris news from AIN: a vengeance, dwarfing its rivals with an 2,000 exhibitors from 45 countries. The top management changes. Nonetheless, In Print, On Air and Online array of Citations that will include the expanded covered exhibit space now Boeing Commercial Airplanes has opted Citation Mustang, the CJ1+, the CJ2+, the covers nearly 1.4 million sq ft. not to bring a single example of its exist- All the latest news from the 2007 Paris CJ3, the Encore+, the XLS, the Sovereign The list of planned aircraft for this ing airliners to the Paris show. Air Show will be available from AIN, with and the X, as well as a Grand Caravan year’s Paris show is high on volume but The regional airliner sector at the Paris the largest editorial team on the interna- and a Turbo Stationair, and the mock-up somewhat short of novelty–with the no- show will be dominated by Embraer with tional airshow circuit. More than 35 jour- of its new Large Cabin Concept proposal. table exception of the new Neuron un- its E-Jet series, led by the E190, which nalists, photographers and designers will Hawker Beechcraft will have a high manned combat air vehicle provided by will be on display alongside the com- be at Le Bourget producing four daily Dassault’s Falcon 7X, certified by the EASA and FAA on April 27, will perform in the flying display. pany’s Legacy 600 business jet. Bom- on-site publications (June 18 to 21), as bardier will be seeking market support well as daily AINtv broadcasts at www. for its new CRJ1000 program, while at aintv.com (June 17 to 22) and fresh online the same time looking to generate longer- content at www.ainonline.com. term interest in the proposed C-Series Exhibitors with news for the Paris show narrowbody. It will also display a Q400 twin-turboprop regional airliner. should contact editorial director Charles Avions de Transport Regional will Alcock as soon as possible. News embargos arrive in Paris on a continuing wave of will be strictly honored. Information and strong sales for its twin turboprop ATR photos can be sent to CAlcockAIN@aol. 42 and ATR 72. The Franco-Italian group com or call +44 1252 727758. might also have news of a possible avion- AIN is an official publishing partner of the Paris Air Show, with exclusive distri- H ics upgrade and new training provision. S O
T bution rights at the show site.
N Paris is very much the global airshow.
I I c M After French companies, the U.S. aero- D I V A D
41aaAviation International News • June 2007 • www.ainonline.com