In contrast Asian companies should be very discrete

Many promotions, but few achievements in perspective for the 48th Edition of the exhibition of Aeronautics and space, which opens its doors today and until Sunday, at le Bourget airport. Overshadowed by the crisis in air transport and the crash of the A330 to Air France, four business days, Monday to Thursday, announce economy turns south indeed. And it probably be public days, from Friday, to find the animation of the previous editions.

Lack of customers, the traditional game of commands between Airbus and Boeing will not occur, have already indicated the two aircraft manufacturers, who have won only 19 additional orders since January (11 for Airbus and Boeing 7) once removed from the cancellations. "Our number one priority is to ensure shipments and to support our customers," still indicated Saturday the President and CEO of Airbus, Thomas Enders. "We benefit show for some in-depth discussions with our suppliers." Even speech at Boeing: "commands are more priority," explained Scott Carson, the pattern of the Boeing commercial aviation industry.

Some companies should take advantage of the situation to be put forward. As early as yesterday, Spanish Air Nostrum thus announced the command of 15 CRJ-1000 the Canadian Bombardier of $ 793 million. Russian Sukhoï may announce Wednesday an order of 20 Superjet 100, its new 100-seat aircraft, with a value of $ 600 million.

Broken price step

But once more, what especially Gulf companies who occupy the front of the stage. Qatar Airways should sign a contract tomorrow afternoon "important". "We did not have funding problems", recently highlighted its CEO, Akbar Al Baker, who has ordered more than 200 aircraft at Airbus and Boeing. Same for Etihad, which should also announce a "more modest than the previous" command she had spent 20 billion dollars of orders at Airbus and Boeing at the last show aviation Farnborough but still "significant". The Abu Dhabi company should disclose its choice of engines for the Boeing 787 35, 10 Airbus A380 and the A320 20 ordered last summer. A market with a value of $ 6.7 billion, probably shared between the British and the American GE Rolls-Royce. Also spared by the recession, Turkish Airlines could also take the show to announce a 30 long-haul aircraft, Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 order.

In contrast, Asian companies should be very discrete. Although very present at le Bourget, China should thus announce nothing, despite the efforts of Airbus to turn the options on the old version of the A350. With respect to the companies European and American, despite appealing declarations of intent, as the announcement of a tender for 150 aircraft by United Airlines or 200 aircraft single-aisle aircraft to Ryanair, they should remain on the bench, until the out of the crisis.

Neither Boeing nor Airbus seem still determined to break the price to attract. "We are not desperate, says Tom Enders, we have a considerable backlog (3,500 aircraft), with a large number of orders in surplus for 2010 and 2011.". Even if we went to 2,500 orders, this would be even five years of production.

Eurocopter. In addition to the presentation, for the first time in Europe, of the EC175, a franco-chinois partnership, the manufacturer should conclude the sale of half a dozen devices to RTE, the Manager of the network of electricity in France (subsidiary of EDF), as well as the sale of 2 EC225 to the Vietnamese oil company. In military terms, the German army should he order an evolution of 26 heavy of origin Sikorsky CH-53 helicopters for rescue missions, according to our information.

MBDA. The subsidiary of EADS, BAE Systems and Finmeccanica should announce a contract of VL Mica ground-to-air missiles in the Gulf country, for the first time in Earth's configuration. "MBDA is in charge of the air defence system," welcomed internally. Also on the menu, the research projects conducted in Franco-British cooperation. Finally, MBDA will make a point on its ambitions in the United States.

Dassault Aviation. The 2009 Edition will not be one of the first contract to export of the Rafale. Nothing unusual, however, because the negotiations with the United Arab Emirates for the sale of about 60 copies of combat aircraft is progressing well. Abu Dhabi has frozen the desired technical configuration, paving the way for negotiations on the price ("Les Echos" from June 10). No announcement of sale of Falcon business jets is also expected during the show. Despite a "slight thrill," its CEO Charles Edelstenne expected no improvement in the situation before the end of the year. In the meantime, Dassault table now on 80 deliveries, against "90 best until then. It is hoped that at the beginning of the year, but it is always better than the 78 deliveries met in 2008.