A Leading Airport Hub 

Paris Region is the leading continental European airport hub. There is one military air base, two international airports (Paris Charles de Gaulle and Paris Orly airports), Le Bourget Airport, which is Europe’s top business airport, and 26 other airfields. 
Paris Region has a high concentration of industrial-type heavy maintenance activities on and around its platforms generated by airlines and equipment suppliers.  

A Strong Defense Industry 

Paris Region is home to major national decision-making centers such as the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA), which draws up the weapons programs, and the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC), which develops civil aviation research programs for the coming 10 to 15 years. 

Urban Air Mobility 

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is one of the  newest upcoming innovations in the greater Paris metropolitan aera. UAM technologies are rapidly improving and many opportunities and use cases are emerging in the Region. Therefore, we are currently building a strategy for UAM in Paris Region with different players among the mobility and aviation ecosystem. One of our main targets is the summer of 2024, when Paris will be hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

Major Industrial Groups Are Located in Paris Region

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space, and related services. Airbus has a site in Elancourt dedicated to Defense and Space, and a helicopter blade factory in Dugny. Learn More. 

Safran group is particularly prominent in Paris Region with 20,000 staff members dispatched overaround 20 sites. This includes the Group’s Paris head office, the headquarters of several business units, R&D centers, such as the new Safran Tech sites in the Saclay (91) area and on the Buchet (95) focused directly on composites and large-scale production activities. Learn More. 

Thales is the other aeronautics champion in the Region, with nearly 14,000 workers for its aeronautical activities, spread over almost 25 sites, including the group headquarters in La Défense. Thales specializes in the design and production of navigation guidance systems, solutions, avionics, communication systems, airborne equipment, optronics… Learn More. 

Dassault Aviation employs 4,500 people in Paris Region, mostly at its headquarters and R&D center where the group’s fighter aircrafts, business jets and drones are designed. Dassault Aviation also owns a factory in Argenteuil (93), which builds and develops the fuselages for military aircrafts (Rafale) and civil aircrafts (Falcon). Learn More. 

MBDA, a joint venture between the Airbus group, the British BAE Systems and the Italian Leonardo company, is the world leader in the design of missiles and missile systems. Based in Plessis-Robinson (92), the head office of the company, brings together 2,700 employees. Learn More. 

High-Tech R&D Laboratories

ONERA - Created 70 years ago, the French Aeronautics, Space and Defense Research Lab contributes to advances in aeronautics, space and defense by conducting world-class research, achieving world firsts, and developing current technology on the majority of industrial platforms and products of this sector, in France and in Europe. Learn More. 

CEA - The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission is a key player in research, development and innovation and is active in four main areas: low-carbon energies, defense and security, information technologies and health technologies. CEA has an important R&D site in Saclay for military research. Learn More. 

World-Renowned Universities and Engineering Schools

Centrale Supelec is an internationally reputed Higher Education and Research Institution from the Paris Saclay University. Learn More. 

IPSA is a private engineering school created in 1961. IPSA trains engineers specialized in aeronautical and space systems for 5 years. Learn More. 

A Unique Startup Accelerator

Starburst Aerospace is an innovation catalyst in the aerospace industry. The Starburst program helps startups scale their business in aerospace, aviation and defense with access to the largest group of corporate stakeholders to help startups win their first $1M+ contract. Learn More. 

Blast is the first French acceleration program in the Aeronautics, Space and Defense (ASD) sectors. It aims to support around 20 projects per year, led by start-ups but also by researchers and entrepreneurs.
It is a partnership between Onera, Starburst, SATT Paris Saclay and Ecole Polytechnique. Learn More. 

Download our guide to find the right accelerator for your company in Paris Region.

A Dedicated Cluster for Aeronautics and Defense  

The aim of the ASTech Paris Region competitiveness cluster is to increase the positions of European industry market leaders in the aerospace launch, business aviation, propulsion and equipment industries in Paris Region through innovation. Learn More. 

Aeronautics & Defense Events in Paris Region 

International Paris Air Show, Le Bourget – June 16,15, 2025 The 55th edition of the Show will take place at the Le Bourget Parc des Expositions in June 2025, and once again will bring together all the players in this global industry around the latest technological innovations.
In 2023, the show welcomed more than 292,579 visitors and 2,498 exhibitors from 48 countries. Learn More. 

Meet us at more events

In the News

Touchdown on Paris Region – The Innovation Hub of Europe
Tarmac Technologies is a French/American company that optimizes aircraft ground operations by bringing airports, airlines, and handlers together on their platform. After opening two offices in San Francisco and Boston, expanding to Paris Region was an easy choice, given that the region is #1 in Aeronautics in France. The supportive start-up ecosystem, the multiple R&D facilities and the diverse talent pool only added to their conviction to choose Paris Region. We had the opportunity to talk to Anthoine Dusselier, co-founder of Tarmac Technologies, to find out more.
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