Thrilling manoeuvres by military and civilian aircraft marked the Parisian sky as the Paris Air Show made a comeback on Monday, June 19, after a gap of four years. It began with a special event, with the participation of military forces. French President Emmanuel Macron also graced the event, arriving aboard Airbus’ latest helicopter.

The Paris Air Show shared a video of a jaw-dropping manoeuvre by an aircraft, which marked the arrival of President Macron. "Spectacular aerial displays grace the skies as we welcome President Emmanuel Macron to ParisAirShow!" read a tweet from the official handle of the Paris Air Show.

Spectacular aerial displays grace the skies as we welcome President @EmmanuelMacron to #ParisAirShow! The show is on! pic.twitter.com/6xl4hZ8P24

— Paris Air Show (@salondubourget) June 19, 2023

The organisers of the show titled it ‘Recovery Show,’ as it is coming back after the coronavirus pandemic phase. This year the focus of the airshow is on defence, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In addition to that, it will shed light on the industry’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.

The traffic at Le Bourget Airport was a major testament to this show, with the aircraft makers filing numerous orders.

Russia’s continuing invasion of Ukraine has influenced countries to be prepared with military investments, which would be beneficial in aerospace defence areas.

Apparently, Russia has not been included in the event, while Ukrainian military officials visited the exhibition at Paris-Le Bourget airport. The event offers a platform to declare deals with different firms to showcase their latest aircraft, drones, helicopters, and even prototypes.

Among the big deals at the show, Le Bourget is a primary sales event for the civil as well as the defence industries. This time, at least 158 planes, helicopters, and drones are on display, ranging from commercial jets to the F-35 and even a US stealth fighter. Nearly 46 firms from different nations are also participating in this edition of the Paris Air Show.

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The airshow hopes to open a path to the future with projects for flying taxis and other takeoff aircraft. Several prototypes will be showcased as a part of the show, along with the latest innovations that could revolutionise travel.

On Friday (June 16), French President Macron announced $2.2 billion to help in developing technologies that can reduce aircraft emissions, as travel accounts for around 3 percent of global CO2 emissions but hardly serves a small minority of the world population, according to reports.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)