Paris Air Show: Step into the future of aerospace with the Airbus Paris Air Lab
June 15, 2025
A highlight of this year’s Paris Air Show will be a futuristic showcase presented by Airbus that the planemaker calls the Paris AIr Lab.
Hosted by GIFAS, the French aerospace industries association, it promises to be a high-tech ‘event within an event,’ focused on the most pressing aerospace challenges.
Within the Air Lab will be 25 Airbus exhibits visitors can browse. The space will also host roundtables, immersive demonstrations and interactive stations that explore everything from cyber security to quantum technologies.
Prototypes on display at Airbus Paris Air Lab
Four scale models are on display at the AirLab: Bluecopter, RACER, A380 open‑fan, and EcoPulse.
The RACER (Rapid and Cost-Effective Rotorcraft) helicopter, is capable of flying over 400 km/h (250 mph), around twice the speed of a conventional helicopter. Thanks to its optimised engines and aerodynamic design, it also reduces fuel consumption by up to 20%.
The Bluecopter demonstrator has played an important role in the development of Airbus’ new H140 helicopter, with technologies tested on this platform eventually making their way into the final H140. The H140 is scheduled to be displayed by Airbus at the show.
Excitingly, the zone also features an engine exhibit that showcases Airbus and CFM International’s open‑fan RISE demonstrator, highlighting radical gains in fuel efficiency.
Showcasing Airbus’s future technologies
The prototypes zone features future looking technologies and even allows visitors to design their own aircraft on a smartphone. Using an app, guests can create the wings, propulsion, fuselage and even design the livery of their own future jet.
In the same area, the Wing of Tomorrow features a 2‑metre folding wing model and VR experience, designed to illustrate next‑gen composite wings for improved aerodynamics and efficiency.
Airbus UpNext’s eXtra Performance Wing demonstrator is spotlighted too, including video of its maiden flight. With a goal to reduce emissions through advanced aerodynamics, the project is focused on accelerating and validating technologies that can improve the performance of aircraft wings.
Exoskeletons, recycled aircraft and sustainability
The Paris Air Lab will explain how Aiburs uses ‘exoskeletons’ – wearable devices that support product operators – to transform manufacturing. The planemaker says they offer crucial support for reducing fatigue and represent a leap forward in ergonomics.
Also on display is a 3D‑printed A350 titanium latch shaft, which consolidates 10 parts into one and is 45% lighter, showcasing material innovation.
Airbus will also display two metal bars which are the first aerospace-grade alloys made from metal recycled from end-of-life aircraft, and a revolutionary rotor hub for the H160 made from carbon fibre and polyether ether ketone (PEEK) thermoplastic.
Quantum sensors are on display, with applications ranging from sensitive measurements (acceleration, rotation, magnetic fields) to next‑level navigation, climate monitoring and resource exploration
The “new energies” section delves into electrification, hybrid flight, and hydrogen fuel‑cell concepts. Airbus notes that hybrid propulsion alone can offer ~5 % fuel savings over conventional setups
The Airbus Paris Air Lab experience presents a bold vision of tomorrow’s aerospace, and will be a must-see at the airshow.
