Airbus' Star Jet Grounded After Air Show Flub

The world’s biggest air show begins today, but Airbus won't be showing off the gem of its fleet—the superjumbo A380 has been grounded after it collided with a taxiway building, damaging its wingtip. It’s just one of several Paris Air Show embarrassments for the Boeing rival, the AP reports: Airbus also canceled the demo of its A400M military transport plane due to a gearbox issue, and the company on Saturday announced that two versions of its A350 jet would be delayed two years.

The A350-1000 is now expected in 2017, as Airbus waits on an improved motor from Rolls Royce. Still, both Airbus and Boeing are likely to announce a crop of new orders at the show, including Qatar Airlines' $1.7 billion purchase of six Boeing 777 planes. Meanwhile, greener planes are expected to be a hot topic at the week-long show, with Airbus expecting to bag bountiful orders for its A320neo, which has been reengineered to be 15% more fuel efficient than the standard A320. To compete, Boeing is considering a redesign of its 737, or possibly a whole new plane. (More Airbus stories.)