Paris Air Show: Speed and size

The 44th Paris Air Show is the aerospace industry's most important European event.

This year the fierce rivalry between Airbus and Boeing is much in evidence, while in the military market, Russia is threatening to make a comeback.

Thousands of visitors have been enjoying the sight of the largest and the slowest means of air travel which were on display.

The Antonov 225 cargo plane - the largest in the world - dwarfs the Sukhoi 26 trainer. Its first mission will be to carry the US spy plane back from China.

The Russian-built Sukhoi 30 MK is among the fastest fighter jets in the world, competing with the Eurofighter and the new US F-22.

The Zeppelin is making a comeback, with Germany's 16 tonne craft, which landed at Le Bourget, one of the slowest at the Air Show.

Boeing hopes to steal a march on Airbus with its new Sonic Cruiser, a faster subsonic plane which is designed to cut travel times - but it only exists as an artist's concept.

Airbus has placed a scale model of the super jumbo A380 - the world's largest passenger aircraft - just beneath the Eiffel Tower. The launch of the A380 is crucial to Airbus's success.

The success of the A400 military transport plane - also built by Airbus- will be crucial to the future of BAe, which is hoping to secure orders across Europe in competition with Lockheed and Boeing.

Visitors line up to view another Airbus design, the military version of its short-range A310 model which has been adopted by the German airforce.

Tyre maker Michelin is hoping that a new tyre design will help to relaunch the supersonic commercial airliner Concorde, which has been grounded since a tyre blow-out caused a fatal crash last year.

GE's massive GE90 engines power the Boeing 777 in competition with Rolls-Royce's Trent engines. GE's plans to merge with rival Honeywell have been put on hold by the European Commission, while Boeing has accused Airbus of helping to block the deal.