Paris Air Show Opens With Dreamliner Theatrics, AirMule's 'Flying Car'

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A recap of the biggest announcements made at the commercial airline event of the year.

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The Dreamliner shows off.

In 1909, the Paris Air Show made its debut—the first air show ever—and since it moved to Le Bourget airfield northeast of Paris in the 1950s, it has grown to become the most important event on the commercial aviation calendar. This year, aircraft manufacturers will show off their latest innovations from June 15 to 21. Here are a few of the biggest announcements made just on Day One.

The world's largest commercial aircraft may get even larger. Airbus is floating a proposal to its airline customers to stretch the Airbus A380-800 and add seats to the double-decker, reports FlightGlobal's David Kaminski-Morrow. The lengthened plane, which would likely become the A380-900, would increase max seat capacity to nearly 650 (up from 544), but wouldn't see the skies until 2020 at the earliest.

Boeing has been showing off. In a rehearsal flight on Thursday, ahead of the opening of the air show, Boeing's 787-9 Dreamliner (painted for Vietnam Airlines) showed off its agility with a high-angle take-off—seeming to shoot straight up into the air—and by banking hard left and right like an oversized Blue Angel in the skies above Le Bourget. The video, released by Boeing, is going viral.

GOL will be the first Brazilian airline to offer broadband Internet access to its passengers, hooking up its entire fleet of 139 Boeing 737s with Gogo Wi-Fi connectivity. All of GOL's aircraft will also be outfitted with Gogo's wireless in-flight entertainment system, Gogo Vision, and its new live TV solution—Gogo TV. According to Michael Small, Gogo's president and CEO, "GOL is Gogo's first airline partner in South America and the first airline to commit to Gogo's television product. It also represents the largest aircraft commitment to our 2Ku technology outside of North America."

Is that a flying car? The "AirMule," an unmanned single-engine VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) aircraft from Urban Aeronautics, now has two updated prototypes; UA hopes to offer demonstration flights next year. With the look of a Black Hawk helicopter crossed with a flying car, the AirMule will ideally go where helicopters can't—including difficult search and rescue missions.

Garuda Indonesia is buying tons of new planes with a major aim at expanding its long-haul network from Indonesia to the rest of the world, especially European destinations (think non-stop flights from European capitals to Bali).

Amateur aircraft builders are drooling over the "Carbon Cub EX," a kit-built, lightweight carbon airframe CubCrafters airplane that's making its European debut. It's got "half the parts and is twice as strong" as the Piper Super Cub, which makes it ideal for backcountry flying for two people. The Carbon Club EX kit costs nearly $70,000 and requires approximately 1,000 hours to build.

Qatar Airways ordered ten more 777-8Xs, known as the world's longest-range jet, to complement the 50 777-9Xs they already have on order, all "continuing the tremendous legacy of the 777," according to Qatar Airways' chief Akbar Al Baker. The first 777X delivery won't come until 2020, at which point Qatar also hopes to be the launch airline.

Finally, Day One brought the announcement of the creation of a completely new biannual air show, to launch in Chengdu, China in 2017. Flight Daily News reports that the three-day show will take place at Guanghan Airport and will focus on the growing Chinese commercial aviation industry.

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Source: Paris Air Show Opens With Dreamliner Theatrics, AirMule's 'Flying Car'