★ Paris Air Show

01Why it matters

Paris and Farnborough are where commercial aviation's order book is written, and Paris is the larger of the two. The announcements made in the first two mornings — narrowbody orders, engine selections, defence programmes — set the industry's numbers for the year. Its second claim is civic: in our reading the Paris weekend is the most genuinely public event in this batch, since several hundred thousand people with no connection to the industry walk the same static park as the ministers who were there on Tuesday.

02The week around it

Le Bourget sits in the northern suburbs, close to Charles de Gaulle and a long way in character from central Paris, so the show's effect on the city is limited to full hotels and heavy traffic on the A1 and the northern ring.

03When to arrive

Trade visitors should take Tuesday or Wednesday, when the announcements have landed. Anyone attending for the aircraft should take the public weekend and arrive at opening.

04Where to stay

Central Paris is where most visitors stay, and the trade-off is a 40-minute commute each way. The Right Bank districts around Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est are closest to the suburban rail line north and are the practical compromise; the airport hotels are taken by exhibitors well ahead.

05Access and hospitality

The four professional days from Monday to Thursday are restricted to trade visitors, delegations and accredited media, with badges bought or registered in advance. The public days from Friday to Sunday are open to anyone with a ticket, sold online at a level far below the trade badge. Chalets along the flight line are sold to manufacturers and national pavilions.

06Where the social activity happens

During the trade days the chalet line is the show's social spine and is closed to anyone without an invitation; the national pavilions and press centre are the open equivalents.

07Getting there

08Practicalities

09History

The first show was held in 1909 in the Grand Palais, alongside the motor show, only six years after the Wright brothers flew. It moved to Le Bourget, the field where Charles Lindbergh landed in 1927, and settled into a biennial rhythm in odd years, alternating with the British show. Le Bourget now serves business aviation, which left the site free to develop around the show and the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace beside it.

10Who is there

Airframe, engine, systems and space manufacturers; airline and lessor fleet teams; defence ministries and procurement agencies; national delegations and heads of state; suppliers and subcontractors; aerospace press; and, on the public weekend, a very large general audience.