Boeing keeps low profile at Paris Air Show as Airbus hits $27b in orders

Every other year, thousands of visitors flock to a suburb in the French capital for the Paris Air Show, one of the aerospace industry's biggest events.

- Niraj Chokshi and Liz Alderman

PARIS -

The atmosphere is typically celebratory, but the recent deadly crash of an Air India flight cast a shadow over the show this week.

The contrasting moods were apparent in the rivalry between two of the show's most prominent aircraft manufacturers: Airbus and Boeing.

Airbus said it had withheld some announcements but still secured US$21 billion (S$27 billion) of orders for new commercial jets, while rival Boeing opted not to announce new sales following last week's Air India 787 crash.

The cause of the crash, in which at least 270 people died in the plane and on the ground, has yet to be determined.

It happened at a delicate moment for Boeing, which had appeared to be moving past a series of setbacks in recent years.

The company reported nearly 350 orders in May, some of which were part of a trade deal between the United States and Britain.

That made May the best month for Boeing's sales in 1½ years.