Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Paris Air Show Hits Turbulence

Tragedy, economic losses hang over 100th show

By Ambreen Ali, Newser User

Posted Jun 15, 2009 2:51 AM CDT

(Newser) – Clouds hang over the launch of the 100th anniversary Paris Air Show today as investigators continue to pore over the wreckage of Air France flight 447. Bad business news combines with the tragedy to make this year's event less than stellar. Russia's first post-Soviet jetliner is expected to upstage Western projects delayed by financial hiccups. In addition, the annual order showdown between Boeing and rival Airbus will lack its usual luster since the world's airlines are predicting $9 billion in losses next year.

Boeing and Airbus both face project delays as the US—the world's biggest military spender—slashes its defense budget. The International Air Transport Association calls the current state "the most difficult situation the industry has faced," Reuters reports. Despite the grim news, organizers remain optimistic about drawing crowds of some 400,000.

[Images (3)]

[Videos (1)]

A mechanic cleans the propeller of an ATR72 of the Vietnam Airlines, on the eve of the opening of the Paris Air Show. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

A cleaner works on a Bombardier-made Global Express XRS jet liner, on the eve of the opening of the Paris Air Show. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

A mechanic works on a Russian-madeYak III, two days before the opening of the Paris Air Show. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Clips from yesterday's rehearsal of the Paris Air Show. (slasherfun)

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Riskiest Part of Flight Might Now Be on Ground

With skies safe, officials turn their attention to 'surface threats' on runways

(NEWSER) - "America's skies are the safest they have ever been," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told reporters this week, and the stats back him up: Deaths from accidents in US commercial aviation have plummeted over the last 15 years, with none registered at all in 2011. Aviation officials say they are now turning their attention toward somewhere potentially much deadlier than the skies for commercial aircraft: the ground, and specifically, the runway. More»

Russia Now World's Most Dangerous Nation to Fly

Series of deadly crashes blamed on lax regulation

(NEWSER) - Russia is now, mile for mile, the deadliest place in the world to fly, the Wall Street Journal finds. Nine fatal crashes—including one that killed an entire professional hockey team —have claimed a total of 140 lives. While eight of the crashes involved old Soviet-era aircraft, experts say the real problem in the former aerospace superpower is the sloppiness, risk-taking, and ineffective regulation more commonly associated with aviation basket cases like the Congo. More»

Emirates Airline Places Record Boeing Order

50 Boeing 777s would be priciest deal ever

(AP) - Dubai's fast-growing airline, Emirates, kicked off the region's biggest airshow today with an order for 50 Boeing 777s, which the US-based aircraft maker described as its biggest single order in dollar terms in history. The list price for the deal is $18 billion, but airlines typically negotiate discounts for large orders. More»

Cause of Deadly Hockey Plane Crash: Pilot Hit Brake

Had crew realized the problem, takeoff could have been aborted

(NEWSER) - A tragic coda to the story of the Russian hockey team that perished in a plane crash in September: The accident was caused because one of the pilots accidentally pressed the brakes during takeoff, officials revealed today. The New York Times calls it an "extraordinarily basic human error," and explains that the misstep prevented the plane from gaining altitude. Instead it rolled off the runway at an angle that didn't allow for takeoff; the plane crashed about 1500 feet from the runway, killing 43. More»

Plane Crashes at Reno Air Races; 3 Dead, Scores Injured

Pilot went down near grandstand

(AP) - As thousands watched in horror, a WWII-era fighter plane competing in a Nevada event described as a car race in the sky suddenly pitched upward, rolled, and did a nose-dive toward the crowded grandstand. The plane, flown by a 74-year-old veteran Hollywood stunt pilot Jimmy Leeward , slammed into the concrete in a section of VIP box seats and blew to pieces in front the pilot's family and a tight-knit group of friends who attend the annual event in Reno. Three people were killed and more than 50 injured amid a horrific scene strewn with smoking debris. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Paris Air Show Hits Turbulence