Paris air show returns with jets, missiles in demand

PARIS, June 19 (Reuters): The Paris Airshow opened on Monday with last-minute jet order negotiations and supply chain headaches competing for attention with rows of missiles, drones and futuristic transport.
The world's largest air show, which alternates with Farnborough in Britain, is at Le Bourget for the first time in four years after the 2021 edition fell victim to the pandemic.
French President Emmanuel Macron flew in to the packed aerospace bazaar by helicopter and watched a flying demonstration including Airbus's latest jet development, the A321XLR, and air power including the French Rafale fighter.
Belgium said it would apply to join as an observer the potential successor to the Rafale and multinational Eurofighter, the Franco-German-Spanish FCAS fighter project, despite differences between industrial partners over whether to expand the project.
The air show is taking place under the shadow of the conflict in Ukraine, with no Russian presence in the chalets and exhibition halls in contrast to the last event four years ago.
Some Ukrainian officials and aerospace firms were expected to be present at the show.
France's Thales announced a contract from Indonesia for 13 long-range air surveillance radars.
On the commercial side, planemakers arrived with growing demand expectations as airlines rush for capacity to meet demand and help reach industry goals of net zero emissions by 2050.
But they also face a challenge to meet that demand as suppliers struggle with rising costs, parts shortages and a scarcity of skilled labour in the wake of the pandemic.
Industry executives say as many as 2,000 jet orders are up for grabs worldwide in a resurgent commercial jet market, on top of those provisionally announced already, as airlines try to fill a void left by sharp falls in activity during the pandemic.
Only a portion of these potential fresh deals will be ready in time for this week's air show, which could see a mixture of new and repeat announcements, they said.