More Middle East aircraft orders expected after quiet Paris Air Show

Analysis

Jack Dutton

Jun 25, 2023

This photograph taken on June 21, 2023, shows an Airbus A321 XLR airplane. — This photograph taken on June 21, 2023, shows an Airbus A321 XLR airplane performing an exhibition flight demonstration during the International Paris Air Show at the ParisLe Bourget Airport. — JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images

As the Paris Air Show came to a close on Sunday, Middle Eastern airlines did not leave empty-handed for new aircraft orders, but fewer came in than analysts expected.

At the biennial event in Le Bourget in the north of the city, airlines, aircraft lessors and manufacturers congregated to announce new jet orders and other strategic partnerships.

This year, the air show culminated in some 1,266 orders — the highest amount since the Farnborough Air Show in 2018 before the COVID-19 pandemic when the industry was strong.

The Middle East is one of the fastest growing parts of the world in terms of air passenger traffic, due to its advantageous geographical position as a hub for international flights and ambitious economic expansion plans by different countries — many of which include the development of their tourism industries.