PARIS • The aircraft industry has descended on Paris for the world's biggest air show.
Single-aisle planes for short and medium distances are the hottest ticket in the world's civil aviation industry, with airline demand for models in the Airbus A320 family giving the European firm an edge - for now - over its American rival Boeing, which is racing to return in force to the mid-range segment.
But the duopoly is not without challengers: Russia and China have each been test-flying their own mid-range plane models.
Singapore's Second Minister for Defence, Mr Ong Ye Kung, who is in France for four days starting from yesterday, attended the air show's opening ceremony.
He will visit the Republic of Singapore Air Force's Advanced Jet Training detachment at Cazaux Air Base tomorrow.
He will also meet Minister for the Armed Forces Sylvie Goulard, the Mayor of Bordeaux and former French prime minister Alain Juppe.
The biennial Paris Air Show, which runs until Sunday, is expected to draw 150,000 industry professionals from 2,370 firms.
There will also be some 200,000 regular visitors, many of whom will come especially for the spectacular displays of supersonic military hardware as fast combat planes break the sound barrier.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
