Paris Air Show: Airbus steals the spotlight

Le Bourget in Paris is always a showground for aviation’s biggest names, but this year it was clear who wanted to lead the conversation. Airbus dominated most of the commercial announcements at the 2025 Paris Air Show, putting Boeing firmly into the background. Every order, every handshake and every briefing underlined a straightforward message: Europe’s planemaker was making the most of a difficult moment for its rival.

Even if Boeing still holds a substantial order backlog and a long history in commercial aviation, its subdued presence at this year’s show was hard to miss. The company had scaled back its participation after the crash of an Air India 787-8 Dreamliner on 12 June forced a broad safety review and prompted a more cautious public stance. Airbus, by contrast, took every opportunity to highlight its commercial strength, alongside a growing interest in defence and sustainability.

The order books told the story. Airbus secured around $21-billion in new business across its single-aisle and long-haul fleets. Vietjet booked 100 A321neos with options for 50 more. LOT Polish Airlines committed to 40 A220s with options on 44. EgyptAir placed a firm order for 16 A350-900s, and Riyadh Air signed up for 24 A321neos and three new long-range A321XLRs. Even AviLease, the Saudi lessor, came in for 30 A320neos and 10 of the new A350 freighters.

Boeing’s most notable announcements were its order from Korean Air for 10 787-9s and 10 777Xs, and an Alaska Airlines top-up for 15 more 737 MAX jets. Important, but hardly transformative. The company also gave incremental updates to its 777-8F freighter programme and promised more stable production rates going forward. These were hardly the bold moves many had hoped for.

This year, it wasn’t only Boeing that Airbus had to fend off. Other manufacturers took their shot at the spotlight too. Brazil’s Embraer attracted strong interest with its updated E2 regional jets, winning new deals and showcasing a sleek cabin design that promises airlines lower operating costs on thinner routes. Embraer announced an order for 35 E195-E2s from Porter Airlines, with options for 25 more, signalling the company’s growing appeal as a regional fleet mainstay.

ATR , the Franco-Italian turboprop maker, also pulled attention. Orders and options for its ATR 72-600 and new short takeoff and landing (STOL) variant gave the company something to cheer about. Smaller carriers, especially in Europe and Asia, are turning to ATR to replace aging regional fleets with more fuel-efficient turboprops. Its chief executive was bullish that sustainability and economics will keep propeller-driven regional flying strong for years to come.

In a sign that the world of commercial aviation is becoming more diverse, Chinese manufacturer AVIC brought its J-10CE fighter to the show alongside a scale model of its COMAC C919 narrow-body. It was a reminder that Beijing still harbours ambitions to challenge the duopoly. COMAC also displayed its smaller ARJ21 regional jet, attracting interest from less traditional buyers, especially in Africa and Southeast Asia.

Even newer players like French startup Aura Aero grabbed attention. Its hybrid-electric ERA regional plane notched more than 100 orders and Letters of Intent. The company announced a $200-million plan to establish a U.S. factory in Daytona Beach, Florida, and showed off a partnership with Germany’s Vaeridion to co-develop electric commuter aircraft. That green push at the show suggested Europe’s new entrants want a slice of the future, especially as sustainability moves up every airline’s agenda.

Boeing, by contrast, kept mostly to the sidelines. Its leadership team spent most of their time reinforcing safety protocols and customer support. The company was explicit that fixing its supply chain and engineering processes is the priority. It spoke of “every lesson learned” and assured customers that returning to stable deliveries would take precedence over flashy product reveals. Boeing hosted a small press briefing on advances in sustainable aviation fuel compatibility for the 777X: a worthy topic, but hardly the stuff to set a trade show alight.

That left the spotlight for Airbus and its rivals to fill. Its executives spoke confidently about green tech partnerships and commercial momentum, as well as the growth of its defence business. Airbus unveiled an order to supply France with new airborne early warning platforms built on the A320neo airframe and displayed its multirole helicopters as part of a push into Middle Eastern and Asian defence markets. Embraer stressed its legacy of durable regional jets, ATR its fuel-sipping props, and AVIC its pitch as a new global player.

That contrast is more than image management. Every technical partnership and every new factory carries long-term implications for the industry. Orders placed this year will be flying for decades, and supply chains built around those jets will shape skills and investments across Europe and beyond. The Paris Air Show this year underlined that the competition is broadening: commercial, defence, and sustainability ambitions all pulling more players into the game.