Paris Air Show - June 25, 2007

The Paris Air Show is the world’s leading biennial air and space show going on right now from the 18th through 21st June for industry, government and military visitors and open to the general public from the 22nd to the 24th June. At the last event in 2005, there were 480,000 visitors, including 223,000 trade visitors and exhibitors, and 206 official delegations from 88 countries.

Aircraft makers Boeing and EADS (Airbus) are both investing heavily in developing green technologies. A lot of this investment will be devoted to finding uses for new, lighter materials to increase fuel efficiency. Both companies are looking to using composites in at least half the structural components of their latest wide-body jets, the 787 Dreamliner and the A350-XWB. Recent advances in composite technology are coming at an appropriate time when climate concerns are being addressed globally. Mr. Giovanni Bisignani, the chief executive of the International Air Transport Association, explains that although the airline industry accounts for 2% of carbon dioxide emissions, increasing demand for air travel are expected to raise the aviation contribution to 3% by 2050.

The French plastics processing industry generated a turnover of USD 36,974 million in 2005 with over 3800 companies and a workforce of over 155,700. The French plastics industry ranks second in Europe after Germany and fourth in the world after the United States, Japan and Germany. The trend toward alliances continues: today multinational corporations and SMEs employing more than 100 persons account for 75 percent of the French plastics industry’s sales.

The French Plastics Industry Association estimates that 2006 polymer sales grew 2 percent.
In 2005, French production of processed plastics products was broken down as follows: semi-finished products (34 percent), packaging (30 percent), technical parts (18 percent), building products (13 percent), and miscellaneous (5 percent). In terms of sales, however, the picture is different, with technical parts accounting for 38 percent, packaging for 23 percent, building products for 17 percent, semi-finished products for 16 percent and miscellaneous for 6 percent.

The European Union – primarily Germany, Italy and Belgium - accounts for 75 percent of plastic products imported by France. The main non-EU suppliers of plastics products to France are China, the U.S., and Switzerland. In 2005, the U.S. sold USD 337 million in plastic products to France, mostly technical parts worth USD 166 million, semi-finished products for USD 114 million, packaging USD 48 million and building products USD 9 million.

The Air Show is also a forum for lesser-known players offering an array of high-tech gadgets to improve flying. One of them is Warrenton, Va.-based Athena Technologies, which makes flight-control and guidance systems for unmanned aircraft.
Unmanned military planes already fly over war zones and patrol borders, but Athena hopes to bring its products into the commercial and civilian market.

How comfortable are you with taking your next commercial flight without a pilot?
Are you attending the show? What new innovations got your attention?