U.S. Planning No Flights This Year at Paris Air Show

For financial reasons, U.S. military aircraft will not make demonstration flights at the Paris Air Show, one of the world’s most prestigious, this June for the first time in its history, a French industry official said Friday.

“The U.S. has decided not to fly for financial reasons . . . and the companies do not want to assume the cost,” said Serge Dassault, chairman of French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation and general commissioner of the June 13-23 show.

A U.S. Embassy spokesman cited budgetary considerations and high insurance costs as influencing the decision, as well as the fact that the United States had not been able to train demonstration pilots because of the Gulf War.