The Longest Running Air Show Sets the Stage for Aerospace Enthusiasts

Started in the year 1909, the largest and most anticipated trade show, the Paris Air Show is all set for its 53rd edition this year from June 17 to June 23

Issue: 3 / 2019By Ayushee ChaudharyPhoto(s): By Adrien Daste
A file photograph of static display at the Paris Air Show.

It was in 1909 when André Granet and Robert Esnault-Pelterie created the first Paris Air Show (PAS) dedicated to “aerial locomotion”. Held in Paris’s Grand Palais from September 25 to October 17, the event was attended by around 100,000 visitors to take a gaze at what the 380 exhibitors had on display. The success of the then, annually held event has continued for over a century so much so that it remains a favorite among the aviation geeks around the world and an ideal set up ‘where aerospace leaders get down to business’. Entering its 53rd edition this year, the biennial air show will be staged from June 17 to 23, 2019 at the Le Bourget Parc des Expositions where it has been taking place since 1953.

The Paris Air Show is not just the largest but also the longest running aerospace trade show in the world, but the status of being the oldest does not stop it from constantly reviving which is precisely why the upcoming edition is planned with ‘innovation’ as the central idea.

BY OFFERING IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO THE INNOVATIONS OF TODAY AND TOMORROW, THIS ORIGINAL EXHIBITION SPACE WILL TRANSPORT YOU TO THE CLOSEST POSSIBILITY OF TAKING IN SOME NEAR REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCES OF THE TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS THAT THE WORLD IS YET TO WITNESS ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE AREAS DEDICATED TO VR EXPERIENCES, A UNIQUE ESCAPE GAME, TESTIMONIALS OF AEROSPACE INDUSTRY’S ICONIC FIGURES AND MANY OTHER SURPRISES.

Since its start, the show has been at the heart of developments in the global aerospace market, for which it has become the most important meeting place over the years. Open to professionals and the general public alike, it continues to inspire a large number of vocations. The first four days of the Show will be reserved for trade visitors, followed by three days open to the general public with the fifth day dedicated to students. With more than 150 aircraft at display each time, the visitors are enthralled by a fascinating static display as well as spectacular flying displays held each afternoon.

Despite the ongoing disruption of Brexit and some weakening economic indicators for manufacturing around the world, the aerospace sector appears to be in good health and PAS at this time again promises to be the supreme arena to see the latest advances in aerospace technology and manufacturing through displays, seminars, and conferences.

A major percentage at the Paris Air Show has usually consisted of French companies, with the second largest number of exhibitors from the USA. A strong presence is also observed of the companies from the UK, Germany and Italy, along with others from China, Brazil, Spain, Canada, and India. While the presence of the large OEMs such as Boeing and Airbus is obvious, the names of the aircraft to be displayed are usually not disclosed until the nearer time. But nevertheless, with a few days to for its inauguration, PAS remains the event that is most looked forward to of the aerospace industry at a global level.