PARIS, 20 June, 2013. The 50th Paris Air Show wrapped up today in Le Bourget, France, with aviation companies present announcing deals for about 1,460 aircraft over the show's four business days, signaling not only a healthy global aerospace industry, but also the growing importance of small-to-medium-sized regional passenger jet aircraft.
The show's top aircraft sales performer was Airbus of Toulouse, France, which by rough count made deals for 536 single-aisle and widebody passenger jets during the Paris Air Show. The company officials claims to have made 466 aircraft deals during the show.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the show was South American aircraft manufacturer Embraer, which held the top spot in aircraft sales over the first tow days of the show with strong sales of the company's recently introduced E2 family of regional passenger jets.
The shining moment at the Paris Air Show for Embraer of São José Dos Campos, Brazil, was early Monday when the company quickly announced 365 sales of the company's new E2 regional jet family. Embraer sales tailed off on Tuesday, however, and the company made no sales announcements Wednesday or Thursday.
Embraer's early sales were enough to keep Embraer the top aircraft seller throughout the first half of the show, but then European aerospace giant Airbus took control.
Airbus, led by announced sales of its future A320neo family of fuel-efficient single-aisle passenger jets, took the lead in Paris aircraft sales on Wednesday and never looked back.
Aircraft sales announced by Airbus today on the final day of the Paris Air Show included 40 A320neo aircraft to Hong Kong Aviation Capital; 20 A321neo aircraft to Hong Kong aviation Capital; 25 A350-1000 widebody passenger jets to United Airlines; and 20 A321ceo (current engine option) aircraft to Sprit Airlines.
The final tally has Airbus with 537 aircraft sales worth about $70 billion, Embraer with 381, U.S. jet maker Boeing Co. with 275 sales worth about $66.4 billion, French passenger turboprop designer ATR with 115, Canadian regional and business jet maker Bombardier with 72 sales, followed by helicopter makers AgustaWestland with 54 sales, Sikorsky with 17 sales, and Eurocopter with 10.
Official announcements by Boeing at the Paris Air Show had the company with 275 sales of widebody aircraft such as the Boeing 787, 777, and 747, as well as fuel-efficient single-aisle aircraft such as the Boeing 737 MAX. A Boeing announcement says the company actually sold 442 planes at Paris.
This years was the best Paris Air Show in the history of the Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR, company officials say. Company announcements indicate the company sold 115 passenger turboprop aircraft, but the company claims to have sold 173.
The Paris Air Show stages every other year in odd-numbered years. The Other large European air show, the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, England, stages in even-numbered years.
The next Farnborough International Airshow is scheduled for 14 to 20 July 2014.
