The Paris Air Show was held at Le Bourget from the 20th to 26th June in 2011 was something that I had always wanted to visit since my childhood days.
Finally, I made my way there to experience the oldest and largest airshow in the world. This time around, a total of 2100 international exhibitors had secured their places at the massive trade grounds, which took me two days to probably see only 60% of everything.
The 49th Paris Air Show also showcased a total of 140 aircraft throughout the grounds, where 140,000 trade visitors and 193,000 public visitors attended this prestigious event.
Paris Air Show 2011 Review
Having been invited by Malaysia Airlines and a group of business journalists, we were shuttled from our hotel near the Charles De Gaulle International Airport daily.
Our air show passes were issued at the entrance each day we attended the show, and it was quite fast considering that thousands of businesspeople were heading here.
Exploring the airshow on foot is no easy task as it is extremely huge, covering 320,000 square meters.
About six main exhibition halls were massive, and walking from one to another easily took me about 5 minutes across while the aeroplanes were displayed towards the runway tarmac area.
It was a tad cloudy on the first and second day; it did not stop the curious thousands of people flocking here.
The first three days were only open to invited guests, businessmen, and media, while the following three days were open to the public.
Our air show passes were issued at the entrance each day we attended the show, and it was quite fast considering that thousands of businesspeople were heading here.
Exploring the airshow on foot is no easy task as it is extremely huge, covering 320,000 square meters.
About six main exhibition halls were massive, and walking from one to another easily took me about 5 minutes across while the aeroplanes were displayed towards the runway tarmac area.
It was a tad cloudy on the first and second day; it did not stop the curious thousands of people flocking here.
The first three days were only open to invited guests, businessmen, and media, while the following three days were open to the public.
Paris Air Show official souvenir shop
Having seen the many kinds of aircraft around the airshow, I have to admit that the teenager in me took over as I hurriedly walked from the plane to the plane, checking out everything I could get my eyes on.
From aeroplanes, jet fighters, space rockets, transport aircraft, classic planes, helicopters, unmanned drones to missiles, aviation technology and everything you could possibly think of was found here.
If you had no interest in this area, then you would find it very odd, but for me, I simply could not stop clicking away on my camera.
Inside the exhibition hall
Paris Air Show Exhibition Halls
What impressed me most at the airshow was the many new state-of-the-art technologies inside the main exhibition halls.
A total of 50 countries participated, and the big names include Dassault, Safran, EADS, Arianespace, MBDA, Hutchinson Aerospace, Aerolia, Russia's UAC and many more.
While the tarmac area hosted 28 international pavilions, the main attraction was aeroplanes in all shapes and sizes.
Europe's ESA put up two space rockets that stood out like a sore thumb was walking towards the tarmac area; these were the first things you would see.
Several giants were also on display, including the humongous USAF military C5-Galaxy, Boeing's latest 747-8 test plane, a Korean Air Airbus A380, and the new Airbus Military A400M.
Crowd walking towards the main tarmac area
Malaysian Airlines CEO and MD Tengku Dato' Sri Azmil and Boeing's Marlin Dailey
On the second day, after a signing ceremony between Malaysia Airlines and Pratt and Whitney to reduce carbon footprint and exercise the option for purchasing an additional 10 Boeing Next Generation 737-800 planes.
I was fortunate enough to be on the first group up to the all-new Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet. As it was a test plane, the exterior was completed with the Intercontinental colours, while the entire inside was a test lab.
There were no seats except for loads of test equipment. Wires were seen running throughout the plane from front to back.
The test crew was nice enough to give us a tour around the plane, explaining the technical side of things.
European Space Agency (ESA) Rocket at the Paris Air Show 2011
Later that afternoon, I could not resist moving to the runway area as I was lured by the sounds of roaring jets.
Jet fighters had taken off to do an aerial display followed by helicopters. Soon after that, some cargo planes went up and next up, the Airbus A380-800 plane was doing its stuff circling the airshow.
A surreal moment as I looked at this huge piece of metal attempting to show off in low altitude, going round and round to the sounds of oohs and ahhs from the crowd. Many, including me, were very impressed by the flying skills of these pilots at the airshow.
By my own judgment, I found that most of the airshow was dedicated to the military rather than the consumer. I guess things have much changed over the last few decades.
Overall, I have to say, attending this major event has been on my bucket list for over 20 years, and I finally had a chance to experience it.
Paris Air Show Photos
Below are various pictures of the Paris Air Show I took during my two days here, and in no order. They are just snapshots from around the event.
Korean Air Airbus A380-800 plane circling the airspace at the show
Security getting ready at the Paris Air Show 2011
A giant plane propeller on display
Safran technologies jet engine on display
Another Safran jet engine
Russian Helicopters booth with lighted flooring
Rolls-Royce chalet with a turning turbine in the front
Guest looking at the airshow map
Another open jet engine on display in the exhibition halls
MBDA showcasing their missile collection
Malaysian journalist in the foreground exploring the airshow
The landing gear on display
Sales representative explaining to a potential customer
A missile holding pod
Military personnel checking a jet fighter
EADS booth with Eurocopter, Airbus, Astrium, and Cassidian
EADS booth showcasing some of the latest future technology
 |
| Elno Helmets on display |
Eurocopter F-ZXXX helicopter doing a demo
 |
| Eurocopter on display |
Nice smiles from some of the staff at the show
A helicopter doing a vertical climb
Heavy-duty warfare equipment from Israel at the Airshow
Breitling Super Constellation classic plane flying at the Paris Air Show 2011
New Airbus A350 XWB model on display
Anti-Aircraft rocket system from Israel
7X Air Plane from Dassault inside the exhibition area
A jet fighter shows some skills in the air.
Missiles on display
20mm Cannon Gun. Heavy-duty artillery
Boeing 747-8 on display
Inside the Boeing 747-8 Jumbo Jet. A test plane at the airshow
The general map area of the air show
Paris Air Show Information
Venue: Le Bourget Airport (LBG), Paris, France
Dates: Usually in June
Website: Paris Air Show
Conclusion
You can also read this article about the 2011 Paris Air Show by Stephanie Siaw from the Borneo Pos for those into aviation. Shee was one of the 17 journalists from around Malaysia covering this massive event at Le Bourget Paris.
During our trip here, we also visited the Airbus Factory in Toulouse, South of France, to see Malaysia Airlines new Airbus A380 Plane, which was still undergoing completion.
You can also read this article about the 2011 Paris Air Show by Stephanie Siaw from the Borneo Pos for those into aviation. Shee was one of the 17 journalists from around Malaysia covering this massive event at Le Bourget Paris.
During our trip here, we also visited the Airbus Factory in Toulouse, South of France, to see Malaysia Airlines new Airbus A380 Plane, which was still undergoing completion.
For this journey, I visited Paris under the courtesy of Malaysia Airlines, which has flies daily on the Kuala Lumpur to Paris direct route since 2006. (Update: Malaysia Airlines no longer flies to Paris, but does a codeshare flight)
You can get a fantastic ticket deal for serious aviation lovers by booking ahead with some of the airlines that fly here if you want to attend the next Paris Air Show, which is usually in the summer month of June.
You can get a fantastic ticket deal for serious aviation lovers by booking ahead with some of the airlines that fly here if you want to attend the next Paris Air Show, which is usually in the summer month of June.