Organisers of the Paris Air Show, having consulted with French aerospace industry association GIFAS, have cancelled the event for 2021 because of what they termed “uncertainty” caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The show, which is held on alternate years with the UK's Farnborough International Airshow (cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic) was to have taken place 21-27 June 2021. A new date will likely be in June 2023.
It is the first time since the Second World War that the Paris Air Show has been cancelled. It normally attracts 300,000 attendees.
“Exhibitors will receive a full refund of all sums already paid and the Paris Air Show will take full financial responsibility for this decision,” the organisers said in a statement. And Paris Air Show chief Gilles Fournier added he shared the “disappointment” of the exhibitors and other participants.
The organisers took the decision to cancel early due also to the high advance costs involved in staging the show.
The aviation industry has been badly affected by measures to control the virus and there were hopes the show could have been a showcase for new products and a forum for new deals, as well as a catalyst for the sector’s recovery.
The last edition at Le Bourget generated contract announcements worth an estimated US$140bn.
Photo credit: "File:FCAS NGF mock-up at Paris Air Show 2019 (1).jpg" by Tiraden is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
