Summary
- Paris Air Show outshined Dubai Airshow with over 800 aircraft orders for Airbus, compared to Dubai’s 246 orders for Boeing.
- Air India and IndiGo made significant orders at the Paris Air Show, totaling 970 aircraft, with IndiGo becoming the largest A320 model customer.
- Dubai Airshow saw widebody orders from airlines like Emirates and Ethiopian Airlines, but none chose the A350-1000 variant. Emirates was the only airline to order Boeing’s 777X.
The battle of Paris vs Dubai seems to have been a one-horse race this year, with the bi-annual Paris Air Show dwarfing the number of orders seen in the Middle East at the recent Dubai Airshow.
In France, the Paris Air Show was held between June 19th and 25th, with the first four days open only to industry before three more days for the general public. Held at Paris–Le Bourget Airport (LBG), European aircraft manufacturer Airbus saw more than 800 aircraft ordered, casting a shadow on Boeing, which saw around 350 orders, in comparison to Dubai, which saw a total of 246 aircraft ordered at Boeing, versus a mere 66 for Airbus.
With airlines bouncing back from a subdued aviation market from the COVID-19 pandemic, a selection of airlines has returned with a vengeance, such as the eye-watering order placed by the new TATA lead, Air India rejuvenation. Earlier in the year, Air India announced a then-record-breaking purchase of 470 aircraft, split between Airbus and Boeing. When announced, the carrier signed agreements with the manufacturers stating its intent to acquire the aircraft but not purchase agreements, which were signed at the Paris Air Show.
IndiGo also stole the limelight in Paris with an iconic order for 500 Airbus A320 aircraft, positioning the carrier as the biggest A320 model customer. This adds to the backlog already in place for the India carrier, at 1,330 aircraft.
Top three airshows in the last decade
Paris’s healthy result this year placed the air show in the top three of all airshows held in the last decade. Highlighting a solid recovery in the aviation industry and order books for aircraft manufacturers.
Photo: Air India
While Paris’s results were dominated by the Indian carriers, Air India and IndiGo, which totaled 970 aircraft, 130 other aircraft were ordered by other airlines. The most popular aircraft types were for short- and medium-haul operations, with 150-220 passenger capacity.
Commitments from other carriers included three A350-900S for Air Mauritius, nine A350-1000s for Philippine Airlines, nine A220s for Qantas, 25 A321neo for Volaris and lessor Avolon, ten Embraer E2-195, 40 737 MAX, alongside leasing contracts for three A330neos, and 20 A330-900 variants.
![Airshow Reflection: Which Commercial Airshows Saw The Most Orders In 2023? 2 - Air India Multiple IndiGo A320s parked at Hyderabad Airport .](https://go.traveltrade.today/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IndiGo-Welcomes-New-Batch-Of-Trainee-Airbus-A320-Pilots.jpg)
Boeing Vs Airbus: Who Won The Paris Air Show?
It’s time to tally the numbers to see who takes the crown.
Aside from Boeing and Airbus, Brazilian manufacturer Embraer also saw 35 orders in Paris for the E2-195, including Avolon, Azorra Aviation, American Airlines (under Envoy Air), and Binter Canarias, adding to the list.
Photo: Embraer
Heading down to Dubai
While Paris led the race for the most airline orders in 2023, Dubai also recorded many memorable orders from November 13th to 17th. This included the festival’s first order of 30 Airbus A220-300 destined for Riga-based airBaltic. However, Emirates also added 15 extra A350-900 to its order books.
Widebody orders took the lead in Dubai, seeing Emirates, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, flydubai, Royal Jordanian, and Royal Air Maroc ordered widebody aircraft, including the Airbus A350-900, Boeing 777X, and 787s. Some airlines, such as Emirates, EgyptAir, and Ethiopian Airlines, ordered aircraft from both duopoly members – Airbus and Boeing – yet none went with the most significant A350 variant, the A350-1000. Emirates was also the only airline to order the 777X, with its 90-aircraft order being split between 35 777-8 and 55 777-9s.