ISTAT Jetrader - Autumn 2019 - 15

SLOWING
DOWN
A recap of the 2019 International Paris Air Show.
Article and photos by Bert van Leeuwen, DVB Bank

F

rom 17-23 June, the global aviation community once more
gathered near Paris for the 2019 edition of Le Salon International
de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace - better known as "Le Bourget,"
the name of the airport hosting the biannual airshow.
During the trade days (Monday through Thursday), the weather
in Paris was warm but still pleasant and certainly not as blistering
hot as it was during the previous event in 2017. Still, the ISTAT
Chalet once more proved to be a great place to seek shelter from the sun, enjoy a
cold drink (or an ice cream courtesy of Dr. Adam Pilarski), hold an informal business
meeting or simply enjoy watching the planes from the terrace. From many members
we again heard the comment that having our "own" ISTAT Chalet makes visiting the
air shows so much more convenient and enjoyable. The total number of visitors to
the ISTAT Chalet was essentially unchanged this year versus 2017 at 316. Logistics
for the show itself have improved significantly with registration and security checks
on the usually very busy Tuesday morning being well organized and relatively quick.
Traffic around Le Bourget remains nightmarish, but the RER trains were running
smoothly between downtown Paris and the Le Bourget station.
Le Bourget 2019 offered a variety of attractions: the exhibition halls where
aerospace suppliers show their latest innovations, the static show where both
commercial and military aircraft can be admired on the ground, the corporate

chalets for business meetings and,
last but not least, "les demonstrations
en vol," or "the flying display."
Highlights in the static show included
the Airbus A350-1000 in Qatar livery
as well as a Boeing 787-9 in the colors
of Air Tahiti Nui. Another remarkable
jetliner was the Embraer E195-E2 in a
spectacular special Profit Hunter livery
in the form of a "high tech" electronic
lion. Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation
used the Paris Air Show to rebrand its
MRJ regional jet and showed an MRJ90
with red, white and gold "SpaceJet"
branding (not to be confused with
the Indian carrier SpiceJet). Other
commercial aircraft included an
A220-300 in Air Baltic green, an
A330-900neo in Air Asia colors and
as a surprise visitor, an A321-251NX
Jetrader

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ISTAT Jetrader - Autumn 2019

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