The Paris Air Show began with 2,400 exhibitors showcasing innovations. The Airbus-Boeing rivalry heats up amid global tensions and the recent Air India crash.
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The Paris Air Show opened on Monday at Le Bourget airfield, with more than 2,400 exhibitors from 48 countries set to display their latest innovations during the week-long showcase.
The event is the world’s largest and most prestigious showcase for the aerospace and defence industry.
The ongoing rivalry between Europe's Airbus and US-made Boeing aircraft manufacturers is set to further intensify at the event as both companies announce significant new orders.
Boeing expects global demand for air travel to increase by more than 40% by 2030.
However, global tensions, trade tariffs and the Air India crash have cast a shadow over the event.
Last week's crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner passenger jet minutes after takeoff put the spotlight back on the beleaguered US manufacturer. However, it was not immediately clear why the plane crashed.
Meanwhile, France has shut down the four leading Israeli companies' stands at the Paris show for apparently displaying offensive weapons, a decision Israel has condemned.
“The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition — weapons that compete with French industries,” Israel said in a statement on Monday.
Three other Israeli stands, which are not showing weapons, remain open.
A French appeals court had ruled Friday against activist groups who sought to block Israeli companies from participating in the show due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.