Downturn overshadows key air show

Aircraft makers are showing off their products at the show

Aerospace and defence companies are gathering at the Paris air show this week in the midst of an economic crisis that is crippling the industry.

Airlines, which are set to suffer losses of $9bn (£5.5bn) this year, are reluctant to place new aircraft orders.

Hence, both plane and engine makers are dramatically scaling back expectations as orders are cancelled or deferred.

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Boeing Deepens Reliance on 777 to Beat Airbus on Jets, Tankers
Jun 15th, 2009 - Bloomberg
June 16 (Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co. surprised the crowd atthe Paris Air Show with the new plane it says can outdo the nextAirbus SAS jet and win back a $35 billion military tanker deal:the 14-year-old 777. The Chicago-based manufacturer...
Boeing receives no orders at Paris Air Show
Jun 15th, 2009 - MSNBC
LE BOURGET, France - Boeing didn’t score a single jet order and its competitor Airbus didn’t fare that much better on Monday’s opening day of the Paris Air Show...
AIR SHOW: New Orders Lighten Aviation Industry Gloom
Jun 15th, 2009 - Wall Street Journal
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES PARIS (Dow Jones)--Fast-growing Qatar Airways placed a $1.9 billion order for 24 short to medium range Airbus A320 aircraft, dispelling some of the prevailing aerospace industry gloom at the biannual Paris Air Show Monday.
Finmeccanica sees muted impact from crisis
Jun 15th, 2009 - Reuters
PARIS (Reuters) - Italian defense company Finmeccanica on Monday said its order backlog was helping shield it from the economic slump and that U.S. defense spending was holding up despite cuts to big-ticket programs. DRS, the U.S...
Boeing sounds somewhat positive note at Paris Air Show - Chicago Sun
Jun 15th, 2009 - Chicago Sun-Times
LE BOURGET, France ? A defiant Boeing said Monday the aviation industry's troubles may be ending, while Airbus kicked off the race for plane orders at this year's Paris Air Show...