Boeing CEO skips Paris Air Show as headaches pile up
TOKYO/HOUSTON/PARIS -- Boeing's struggles with headwinds including the crash of a 787 Dreamliner in India last week and U.S.-China tensions are spilling into Japan's aircraft industry, which relies heavily on the American company.
The Paris Air Show, which opened Monday, is one of the largest such expos globally, with about 2,500 companies and organizations from 48 countries participating. Large-scale deals often are made there.
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Japan Today
3 hours ago
- Japan Today
Israel furious as France shuts weapons stands at Paris Airshow
View of the closed IAI stand after the four main Israeli company stands at the Paris Airshow have been shut down by organizers during the 55th Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier By Paul Sandle, Giulia Segreti, Steven Scheer and Tim Hepher France shut down the main Israeli company stands at the Paris Airshow on Monday for refusing to remove attack weapons from display, sparking a furious response from Israel and inflaming tensions between the traditional allies. Stands including those of Elbit Systems, Rafael, IAI and Uvision were blocked off with black partitions before the start of the world's biggest aviation trade fair. Smaller Israeli stands, which did not have hardware on display, and an Israeli Ministry of Defense stand, remained open. France, a long-time Israeli ally, has gradually hardened its position on the government of Benjamin Netanyahu over its actions in Gaza and military interventions abroad. French President Emmanuel Macron made a distinction last week between Israel's right to protect itself, which France supports and could take part in, and strikes on Iran it did not recommend. The office of French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said it had told all exhibitors ahead of the show that offensive weapons would be prohibited from display and that Israel's embassy in Paris had agreed to this. It added that the companies could resume their exhibits if they complied with this requirement. Bayrou told reporters that given France's diplomatic stance, and "in particular its ... very great concern about Gaza", the government had felt it unacceptable for attack weapons to be on show. But Israel's defense ministry reacted with fury. "This outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations," it said in a statement. "The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition - weapons that compete with French industries." The ministry later added it was filing court petitions against the decision. IAI's president and CEO, Boaz Levy, said the black partitions were reminiscent of "the dark days of when Jews were segmented from European society". Responding to France's timeline on the incident, a source familiar with the Israeli side said the French had agreed to a pre-submitted list of items from the Israelis before the show. Israel's delegation was caught "completely off guard" by guidelines at 6:30 p.m. on the eve of the show, the source added. Two U.S. Republican politicians attending the air show also criticized the French move. Talking to reporters outside the blacked-out Israeli defense stalls, U.S. Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders described the decision as "pretty absurd", while Republican Senator Katie Britt criticized it as "short-sighted". Meshar Sasson, senior vice president at Elbit Systems, accused France of trying to stymie competition, pointing to a series of contracts that Elbit has won in Europe. "If you cannot beat them in technology, just hide them right? That's what it is because there's no other explanation," he said. Rafael described the French move as "unprecedented, unjustified, and politically motivated". The diplomatic row rocked the opening of the biennial show, already in sombre mood after the crash of a Boeing 787 and fresh conflict in the Middle East, with announcements scaled back. Every two years, Le Bourget airport is transformed into a showcase for the aerospace and defence industries - its sprawling tarmac lined with fighter jets, airliners and drones and its spacious halls hosting high-tech gadgetry and weapons. A person involved in the organizing and budgeting of large company displays over many years - not connected to the French or Israelis - told Reuters that a large stand could cost up to $5 million including all the cost of freight and staff travel. The air show's organizer said in a statement that it was in talks to try to help "the various parties find a favorable outcome to the situation". Bayrou's office urged Israeli firms to "assume their responsibilities" and follow guidelines if they wanted to reopen their booths. Towards the end of the first day of the June 16-20 event, there was no immediate sign of the stands being reopened. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Nikkei Asia
5 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Mitsubishi Corp. in talks to buy Aethon Energy of US
TOKYO -- Mitsubishi Corp. is in negotiations to acquire American energy exploration and production company Aethon Energy Management, possibly for more than 1 trillion yen ($6.9 billion), Nikkei has learned, in what would be the Japanese trading house's largest acquisition yet.
Nikkei Asia
7 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Boeing CEO skips Paris Air Show as headaches pile up
TOKYO/HOUSTON/PARIS -- Boeing's struggles with headwinds including the crash of a 787 Dreamliner in India last week and U.S.-China tensions are spilling into Japan's aircraft industry, which relies heavily on the American company. The Paris Air Show, which opened Monday, is one of the largest such expos globally, with about 2,500 companies and organizations from 48 countries participating. Large-scale deals often are made there.
