Green technology abounds at Paris Air Show

Every other June in Paris, thousands gather for one week to witness the world's leading aviation and space event, the Paris Air Show. This year marks the 49th anniversary of the event that draws the industry's best to showcase their latest achievements in aviation and space technology. The air show is being held June 20-26 at the Le Bourget exhibition center in Paris.

The first four days are for industry leaders only, while the last three days are open for the public to explore the wonders of today's international space and air travel. This year there will be more than 140 different aircraft on display, with 2,000 international exhibitors, including Boeing and Airbus, two of the world's leaders in single-aisle passenger aircraft. Many companies are focusing their attention on green technology and saving fuel in an industry that counts on fossil fuels to keep running. Airbus will focus much of its visit to the air show on its new A320neo, which is supposed to be more fuel-efficient. Many have wondered if Boeing would make an announcement about re-designing or re-engining its popular 737 to make it more fuel-efficient, but instead the company announced that within the next several months it will have made the decision. "There is no question that doing a new airplane is more costly and there is more risk, but there is great reward as well," Boeing CEO Jim Albaugh said. If Boeing chooses to build a new plane through improvements in aerodynamics and engines, it could come up with a smaller plane that is up to 20 percent more fuel-efficient than the 737, according to the company. Boeing may not be catching hundreds of orders like Airbus, but it did introduce an all new wide-body 747-8 intercontinental jumbojet that ran only on biofuels, and announced this morning, 17 commitments from two undisclosed customers, bringing its total number of orders for the jumbojet to 126, including passenger and freight versions of the plane. Solar Impulse, a project intent on creating the world's first solar aircraft that can fly both day and night without the use of fossil fuels, made its debut at the air show as well. The project's team proved that although it may not fly very fast, it will be the beginning of a new age in fuel technolgy for aircraft. In the week ahead there will be many more companies showcasing their accomplishments in the skies. To follow what happens go to the SIAE website.