Paris: Executives from aircraft and engine makers Boeing and Rolls-Royce said recent instability in the Middle East had not so far led to deferrals or cancellations of plane orders.
Gulf carriers such as Qatar Airways and Emirates have grown rapidly over the last decade and have been big buyers of large aircraft in recent years, but their growth has slowed over the last 12 months as the low oil price hit demand for business travel.
"Any major crisis in the Middle East would affect our industry one way or another. We are not there yet," Rolls-Royce civil aerospace president Eric Schulz (pictured) told the Paris Air Forum, adding that he hoped the situation would settle down.
"Compared with the situation six months ago, this is a landscape which seems to be less stable, but that doesn't mean it will be unstable in six months' time," he added.
Boeing also said there was not yet cause for concern. "They may be a bit more cautious and careful as they go forward but we’re not seeing a significant uptake in deferrals or cancellations at this point," Randy Tinseth, Boeing marketing vice president said of his Middle East customers.
Earlier, Rolls-Royce has signalled that investors should expect few orders at n Paris air show, issuing a downbeat trading statement.
The FTSE 100 engineer said that the year had started well, with trading conditions in line with forecasts given at last month’s annual meeting.
Chief executive Warren East has predicted that 2017 will be a year of “modest growth” in sales and profit.
