Paris Air Show Opens Under Cloud of India Plane Crash, Mid-East Conflict

Delegates expect event to be more somber, several public activities to be scaled back

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PARIS — The Paris Air Show opened on June 16 with its usual fanfare of aircraft orders expected to be tempered by concerns over India's deadliest air disaster and escalating missile strikes between Israel and Iran that have rattled the global aviation industry.

Every two years, Le Bourget Airport in the north-east of Paris is transformed into a showcase for the aerospace and defense industry, its sprawling tarmac lined with fighter jets, commercial airliners and autonomous drones.

In the pristine white chalets along the flight line, aerospace executives, government officials and military delegations gather to strike deals and discuss the geopolitical forces shaping the future of aviation.

Delegates say they expect the June 16-20 event to be more somber and several public activities to be scaled back after last week's air disaster, where an Air India Boeing 787 crashed shortly after take-off, killing over 240 people.

Investigators are gathering data on the engine, wing flaps and landing gear, though it is too early to draw conclusions, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters in India.

India's aviation regulator has ordered safety checks on the airline's 787 fleet.