Airbus Bags Jet Orders As Franco-Israeli Dispute Rocks Air Show

Airbus secured multibillion-dollar aircraft orders from Saudi Arabia and Poland on the opening day of the Paris Air Show, which was overshadowed by a diplomatic dispute over France’s decision to shut down some Israeli stands for displaying deadly weapons, Giulia Segreti, Paul Sandle, and Tim Hepher reported for Reuters.

Airbus appears poised to close a series of deals on its home turf. I Photo: Airbus Facebook

Delegates expect this year’s edition of the world’s largest aviation trade show to see less business than usual, partly due to last week’s fatal crash of an Air India Boeing 787 and also because Boeing had already secured major deals during U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent Middle East tour.

However, Airbus appears poised to close a series of deals on its home turf, with strong interest in the defense sector amid rising military spending across Europe and escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, Steven Scheer also reported for Reuters.

Tensions between long-standing allies France and Israel flared as the show got underway, after Paris ordered the closure of major Israeli company stands when they refused to remove attack weapons from display.

Israel’s Ministry of Defense condemned the move as “outrageous and unprecedented,” accusing France of attempting to shield its own companies from Israeli competition.

Show organizers said they were holding talks to try to “find a favorable outcome.”

Meanwhile, Saudi leasing company AviLease announced on Monday it had placed its first direct order with the European planemaker—30 Airbus A320neo single-aisle jets and 10 A350 freighters.