Paris Air show canceled for 2021 due to pandemic uncertainty

The biennial Paris Air Show scheduled to take place in June 2021 has been canceled due to uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

All exhibitors will get a full refund, and the event will next be held in 2023, the French Aerospace Industries Association said in a statement on Monday. The show at Le Bourget airfield outside the French capital is among the largest aviation events in the world, where airlines typically announce large orders and manufacturers showcase new models.

The move comes after the coronavirus outbreak upended global aviation, forcing major manufacturers Airbus SE and Boeing Co. to pare back output and fire thousands of staff. Airlines are expected to lose a combined $157 billion across 2020 and 2021, according to industry group IATA. That’s almost 60% more than it suggested in June and five times the deficit racked up during the 2008-2009 recession.

At the 2019 edition of the Paris Air Show, Airbus and Boeing racked up almost $80 billion worth of deals. Airbus unveiled the new A321XLR, the longest-range version of its single-aisle workhorse, and received orders from British Airways owner IAG SA, India’s Indigo and Qantas Airways Ltd. of Australia, among others.

The equivalent event at Farnborough, southwest of London, was canceled in 2020 and will next be held in 2022. The English town hosts shows on an alternate basis with Paris.