For Airbus, the airshow was to be a real success. Coincidentally, it was just between the end of May and mid-July that the company was celebrating its 50th anniversary.
The company kicked off the show with a high-profile premiere. It unveiled its "star" - the A321XLR airliner. This is a new aircraft that has the longest range of any modern narrow-body passenger aircraft - up to 8,700 kilometres.
Boeing has a similar niche with the 757 - but it is still inferior in maximum range. According to Bloomberg, US airline Fort Worth may replace 34 Boeing 757-200s with new aircraft from the European aircraft maker.