The second part of the party has arrived. First act: from Monday to Thursday, the Paris Air Show was the scene of contract signings, customer prospecting, contacts made between partners among the 2,500 exhibitors… The harvest of the 54th edition of the show is exceptional: orders this year number in the thousands, when they numbered in the hundreds previously. Airbus would thus total 846 orders, options and commitments; the 750 Indian A320 orders come with thousands of Leap engines made 50% in France at Safran; Boeing reportedly has 356 orders, option activations and other commitments.
The second act therefore begins this Friday, June 23, with the opening of the show to the general public, and lasts until Sunday. Spectators can attend in-flight presentations every day – the set, with nearly 35 aircraft, is reinforced by the arrival of vintage aircraft – and meet professionals from the aeronautics sector. Before setting off for Le Bourget, here are our practical tips.
By car. Access to Le Bourget airport can be difficult after 7 a.m. and returning to Paris can be tedious before 8 p.m. due to work at the Olympic Village and the Grand Paris Express. The car parks are paid (30 euros per day); you then have to take a shuttle, which is also subject to the vagaries of traffic.
By metro and bus. Several possibilities: line 7 or tram 1 station La Courneuve-8 Mai 1945, then bus n° 152 direction Gonesse ZAC des Tulipes Nord to Michelet-Parc d’expositions; line 12 Porte de la Chapelle station, then bus n° 350 direction Roissypole to Michelet Parc d’expositions; from Gare du Nord, Gare de l’Est or Porte de la Chapelle, bus n° 350 direction Roissypole to Michelet Parc d’exhibitions.
By RER. Take line B to Le Bourget station, where a free shuttle departs (saturated). You can also reach the show after a twenty-minute walk, which is sometimes faster than a shuttle, often stuck in traffic jams.
Admission is free for students on Fridays. For other visitors, admission is 17 euros (free for children under 7), or 29 euros for a seat in the grandstand. A group rate (15.50 euros) is available upon reservation. Entrance to the show also gives access to the Air and Space Museum, a good plan to take a step back.
The Paris Air Show site allows you to book your tickets and avoid queues at the counters.
To avoid multiplying the kilometers on foot, you can use a small free train, which goes around the site. Many information points, marked in red, are installed on the static display and in the halls. Convenient meeting points for families and… lost children.
It is interesting to organize your visit by consulting the interactive plan of the show. Also useful, the Paris Air Show mobile application, which can be downloaded free of charge, has a geolocation function. It works in the halls via Bluetooth if the GPS signal is not received. The flight schedule is also published there, which the organizer only distributes on a day-to-day basis. Do not expect too much from the comments of the meeting, which are content to reproduce technical sheets.
They are generally favorable for these three days: sunny sky with possible showers, calm wind, without thunderstorms, in principle. So… essential hat, cap, sunscreen, even portable parasol for the meeting. The temperature could reach 28°C. Dehydration threatens and water bottles are essential.