The opening day of the Paris Air Show took on gloomy reflections after the fatal crash of Air India Flight last week, creating a calm mood at the world's largest air trade fair.
The industry expressed solidarity and expressed sadness towards the families of the crash victims. The accident killed all but one of the 242 people on the flight. AI171, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and other people on the ground.
Show aviation executives said it was too early to decide on a cause, but that tragic accidents could provide valuable insight into safety and security.
“We have to wait for the results of our ongoing investigation, but there are lessons to be learned just like accidents and incidents,” Benoit des Saint-Excarpary, executive vice president of commercial aircraft sales, told Le Bouget's National in Sablubs, the northeastern French capital.
“It's a reminder to all of us that safety is paramount and we must always strive to do better. We want an industry of chance, and this industry is the safest mode of transportation and is heading towards an industry with zero.
“At this stage, every day (morning and afternoon) is a reminder that we need to think about everything we do and the safety of our products.”
Airbus began by receiving airplanes orders from more than 100 aircraft from Saudi Arabia and Polish customers on the first day, allowing Air India crash that gave the usual festive event a gloomy atmosphere.
“The mood is clearly saddened by what happened and sympathizes with my Air India friends, so it can't be a fun event,” Sun Expery said.
“There are important moments like today…but we can't get rid of the fact that we've been hit really, really sadly. It's a terrible tragedy and we feel for our Indian friends and industry. The industry is actually being heavily affected.”
After the tragedy, Indian authorities ordered the inspection of the fleet of Air India's Boeing 787 aircraft as investigations were launched to determine the cause.
Boeing reduced its presence at this year's airshow. Chief Executive Kelly Autoberg and Commercial Airplane Division Chief Stephanie Pope cancelled their planned trip as American plane makers focused on supporting crash investigations.
Airbus has announced orders from startup airline Riyadh Air, Saudi airplane lender Avilase, Polish lot airline and Japan's ANA Holdings.
Transactions by Saudi Arabian companies highlighted the growing influence of the kingdom in global aviation as the world seeks to adopt its traces in global tourism, trade and logistics.
The Paris Air Show usually marks races with Boeing and Airbus two-layers for aircraft orders.
Airbus was expected to dominate the show on his home grass, even before the tragedy of Air India. The US rival was already raked in large deals during President Donald Trump's Gulf tour last month in major deals, including a record-breaking order for Qatar Airways.
Geopolitical tension
The theme of safety and security has been at the forefront of airline executives amid escalating aircraft closures and airspace closures, leading to aircraft reorganizations and cancellations or delays in flights.
Tensions in the Middle East are rising as Israel and Iran continue to attack each other. The war began after Israel launched what they called the “first” strike early on Friday, striking nuclear and military locations within Iran.
UAE airlines have extended temporary suspensions of flights to several destinations.
Geopolitical turbulence was apparent at the Paris Air Show after France's decision to close the French decision to close the Israeli stands.
