48th International Paris Air Show - Le Bourget

Business Wire, June 24, 2009

From the Blériot XI to the Airbus A380: 100 Years of Aviation History

• PARIS -- 131,000 m2 of covered exhibition space (halls, village, chalets, external buildings) and 192,000 m2 of static display
• 2,000 exhibitors from 48 countries
• 363 chalet units
• 142 aircraft on display, including over 42 for flight demonstrations
• 205 official delegations from 88 countries
• 62 official French delegations
• 140,000 professional visitors
• More than 3,000 journalists
• The show was opened by François Fillon, the French Prime Minister
• The French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, paid a visit to the show on Saturday
• Eleven government ministers came to the show
• 380,000 public entries, including 140,000 professional visitors, 205,000 public visitors, French & foreign delegations, journalists and exhibitors
• The show’s 100th anniversary was celebrated with flight demonstrations from about 30 old aircraft, reminders of the years 1909 to 1960
• For the first time since 1975, a performance from the Patrouille de France which was granted authorisation to fly over Bourget on both Saturday and Sunday to celebrate the show’s centennial

According to Louis Le Portz, the show’s chief executive, “Though the 100th Paris Air Show opened against the backdrop of the global economic crisis, it has been a particularly successful professional event and a very popular outing with the public. The Paris Air Show in Le Bourget has once again confirmed its position as the leading international air show“.