Paris Air Show takes to the skies again

For aviation buffs, the Paris Air Show is a big deal. Established in 1909, it is held every second year at Paris–Le Bourget Airport, in the north of the French capital. A large trade fair displaying both military and civilian aircraft, it is a chance for major aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus to display their wares and announce new products.

For Boeing, the event takes place under overcast rather than clear skies. There are huge question marks over the future of its 737 MAX fleet after two crashes involving the model killed 346 people. The plane is currently grounded worldwide and on Monday, Boeing's CFO Greg Smith said the company was open to changing the brand. "We’re committed to doing what we need to do to restore it."

Boeing is trying to stay out of the limelight in Paris, an understandable move from the US plane maker. That's in stark contrast to Airbus, the darling of European aviation. It is using this week as an opportunity to showcase its A330neo — a new version of the wide-body A330 jet — as well as models of its A350-1000 (pictured) and the A321LR plane.

Airbus is precisely the kind of "European champion" that French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken of glowingly since coming to office. The company's stand (above) was one of his first ports of call when visiting the Paris Air Show. Airbus has been celebrating record business of late and recently marked its 50th birthday.

This week is not just about Boeing or Airbus though. It's an opportunity for various players in the global aviation business to make their pitches. Pictured here is the E195-2 from Embraer, a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate. Yet, in an illustration of the power of the global aviation duopoly, Boeing is expected to complete a takeover of the Embraer commercial aircraft division by the end of 2019.

Behold, the Russian multipurpose Ansat helicopter. Capable of use for both medical and "VIP" transport needs, Ansat helicopters manufactured by the Russian Helicopters Holding Company (part of Rostec State Corporation) are being displayed in Europe for the first time. The last time Russian-made civil rotorcraft participated in the Paris Air Show was 30 years ago, in 1989.

As well as being a major civilian aircraft event, the Paris Air Show has a strong military element. Various military aircraft are on display, such as the one-to-one mock-up of a Turkish fighter aircraft by Turkish Aerospace, pictured here.