The history of the Paris Air Show dates back to 1908, when the Paris Motor Show introduced a section dedicated to aircraft. The following year, an independent air show was established to showcase aircraft. The first Paris Air Show was held from September 25 to October 7, 1909 at the Grand Palais. It featured 380 exhibitors and attracted around 100,000 attendees.
The show was discontinued during the two world wars and restarted again in 1946. It continued to be held at the Grand Palace, and in 1949 expanded to Paris Orly Airport where flying demonstrations took place. Since 1953, the show (both the exhibition and aerobatic displays) has been held at Le Bourget.
Along with the ILA Berlin Air Show in Germany and the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom, the Paris Air Show is considered one of the most prestigious aircraft exhibitions in the world. It is organized by the French Aerospace Industries Association (GIFAS).
The Paris Air Show features over 2,000 exhibitors at 122,500 square meters of exhibition space and attracts over 350,000 attendees and 4,000 journalists from all over the world. The event runs for a week, consisting of four professional days closed to the general public and three days over the weekend open to everyone.
The main goal of the Paris Air Show is to demonstrate civilian and military aircraft to potential customers. It attracts all major international aircraft manufacturers, having earned the reputation for being one of the world’s leading aircraft expos. For the general public, there are spectacular aerobatic displays.
