At Le Bourget 2025, Airbus set itself a goal: to take advantage of the French air show to recapture Boeing's massive orders, which were secured during Donald Trump's visit to Qatar last month. To achieve this, CEO Guillaume Faury announced on Monday, ahead of the show, that the aim was to "ensure that Airbus sells aircraft based on their quality." This was a way to respond to its competitor's contracts, which were motivated by purely political reasons.
Due to the news surrounding the Air India 171 crash last week, the 2025 Paris Air Show left no room for Boeing. The aircraft manufacturer's announcements are lacking, and new contracts are simply absent. Boeing is, to say the least, completely boycotted. However, companies like Ethiopian Airlines and Royal Air Maroc, as well as Air India, were expected to take advantage of the Paris Air Show to announce orders.
Boeing knew that the show would simply not be viable. It preferred to keep a low profile than try to stand up to Airbus. Its boss, Kelly Ortberg, immediately canceled its participation in the event, the day after the worst air disaster since 2014.
A Boeing spokesperson speaks at Le Bourget
"We are focusing on supporting our customers, rather than announcing orders at this show," a Boeing spokesperson who was on site at Le Bourget on Monday, June 16, preferred to declare to AFP. The airlines in question, particularly Royal Air Maroc, are not expected to cancel their planned orders, but rather to wait for a more opportune context, far removed from the loss of confidence that has increased since the crash of the Air India Boeing 787.
It should be remembered, however, that nothing to date allows airlines or analysts to blame Boeing for the crash of the Air India 787. The aircraft's two black boxes were found at the crash site, but no provisional assessment has been published yet. It will likely take a few more days or weeks before we have a preliminary idea of the causes that led the aircraft to crash a few seconds after takeoff. Alongside Boeing, the Tata group, owner of Air India, could also be at fault.
Airbus multiplies its announcements
On the first day of the Paris Air Show, Airbus secured 105 firm orders, including an order from the Polish airline LOT for 40 A220 aircraft, as well as an order from the Saudi airline Riyadh Air for 25 A350-1000 wide-body aircraft (like Emirates) and A350F freighters from the lessor AviLease. Later in the week, Airbus also announced orders from MNG Airlines, also for A350F cargo transport, as well as from Egyptair for six additional A350-900s, from a previous order, bringing the total to 16 aircraft.
Airbus will now have to find a solution to accelerate the delivery of its aircraft. Since last month, many aircraft have been on hold due to a lack of parts, particularly engines and sanitary compartments. Despite this, the aircraft manufacturer wants to reassure customers: it fully intends to reach its target of 820 aircraft deliveries before the end of the year.
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