European aerospace giant Airbus dominated the opening day of the Paris Air Show, securing nearly $10 billion in new aircraft orders, while its U.S. rival Boeing scaled back its participation following last week’s deadly Air India crash. The tragic incident cast a shadow over the world’s largest aerospace event, further highlighting Airbus’s clear lead on day one.
As first reported by the Financial Times, Airbus unveiled a flurry of deals with major international carriers, including Saudi Arabia’s AviLease, Riyadh Air, and Poland’s LOT Airlines. The most substantial order came from AviLease, which agreed to purchase 30 A321 narrow-body aircraft and 10 A350 freighters, with options for dozens more.
The air show, which convenes global aviation leaders every two years, opened just days after a Boeing 787-8 operated by Air India crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London, killing 241 of the 242 people on board. The catastrophe prompted Boeing’s top executives, including CEO Kelly Ortberg and Commercial Division head Stephanie Pope, to cancel their planned attendance at the event.
Indian investigators continue to analyze one of the aircraft’s flight recorders in an effort to determine the cause of the disaster, which has added to Boeing’s mounting challenges.
Meanwhile, Airbus leveraged the moment to its advantage. In addition to AviLease’s order, Riyadh Air — Saudi Arabia’s newly established national carrier — placed an order for 25 A350-1000 wide-body jets, with an option for 25 more. LOT Polish Airlines ordered 40 A220 narrow-body aircraft, with an option to expand to 84 total units. According to estimates by aviation consultancy Cirium, the total value of the confirmed orders neared $10 billion, with Riyadh Air’s order alone valued at approximately $4.6 billion.
Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas told the Financial Times that the airline’s total order book has now grown to 182 aircraft, as it prepares to launch commercial flights later this year.
The Paris Air Show unfolds amid broader industry concerns over ongoing supply chain disruptions, persistent component shortages, and global political tensions. Both Boeing and Airbus have faced delays in production, with Airbus particularly constrained in ramping up its bestselling A320 family, largely due to a shortage of engines.
According to Sash Tusa, analyst at London-based Agency Partners, Airbus is currently focused on selling models like the A350, which have shorter lead times than its narrow-body offerings. The Polish order for the A220 was especially notable, said Tusa, given the model’s financial pressure: “Airbus needs to sell more of them for the programme to break even.”
The contrast in fortunes between the two aviation giants was stark. While Boeing had scored a win last month with AviLease’s earlier purchase of 30 Boeing 737 Max jets during President Donald Trump’s Middle East tour, the Paris show underscored Airbus’s strategic momentum, especially in the wake of Boeing’s recent setbacks.
With the aerospace industry grappling with tragedy, geopolitics, and industrial hurdles, Airbus’s performance at the Paris Air Show signals a temporary but significant edge in the ongoing global duel for aviation dominance.
