Airbus SE is looking to stage a comeback in June with a flurry of fresh orders after arch-rival Boeing Co. logged its biggest-ever deal this month that left the European planemaker empty-handed.

The aircraft manufacturer is turning its focus to the Paris Air Show taking place in the middle of the month, where some carriers from the Middle East are poised to order more widebody aircraft.

Among possible buyers are Riyadh Air, the new airline from Saudi Arabia that’s seeking to get its hands on as many as 50 Airbus A350 widebody jets, according to people familiar with the negotiations. Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways is also considering an order for the same twin-aisle model, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private negotiations.

The mid-year aviation event that alternates between Paris and Farnborough in southern England is typically a venue of intense order activity, and Airbus has historically held the upper hand in the French capital. But Boeing enjoyed a particularly strong few days in May during US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East, from where he brought home a slew of commercial commitments including a purchase by Qatar Airways for as many as 210 widebody Boeing jets.

Airbus and Etihad declined to comment. Riyadh Air said “a campaign is ongoing for an ultra widebody order and a decision will be made in the coming months.” The people cautioned that the exact number of planes and the timing of an announcement could still change as partners typically negotiate to the last minute to nail down the details of any commitments.

Middle East airlines have long been an important customer base for both Boeing and Airbus, as they tend to buy in larger numbers and focus their fleets around the more lucrative widebody planes. Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner model has been a popular plane in global fleets, and Airbus has sought to crack the US company’s dominance in the longhaul segment with its A350 and re-engineered A330 models.

But the A350 in particular has come under some criticism from carriers in hot climates like the Persian Gulf because the Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc-made engines have shown durability issues in harsh environments. That’s prompted airlines like Emirates to hold off on any large purchases of that aircraft, while doubling down on Boeing planes, including the 777X model.

While Qatar Airways has gone all-in on Boeing with its commitment in May, the carrier hasn’t ruled out an order from Airbus completely. The decision to refrain from the Airbus A350 was partly due to performance of the Rolls Royce engine on the larger A350-1000, according to one of the people. The engine is the only type powering that plane, meaning Airbus relies on Rolls-Royce’s support when marketing the A350 to prospective buyers.

Emirates isn’t likely to place any orders in Paris, as the world’s biggest international airline tends to reserve its announcements for the Dubai Air Show taking place every other year at its home base. The carrier is exploring the purchase of dozens of additional A350s, though President Tim Clark is likely to hold off until Rolls-Royce has shown that it has improved reliability on the engine, two people said.

The carrier ordered 15 of the smaller A350-900 planes at the 2023 Dubai expo, though refrained from buying any of the larger variant of which Clark has been particularly critical.

Carriers in the Middle East recorded the strongest financial performance last year globally and the region was the only one where passenger yields jumped, thanks to strong demand for premium long-haul travel, according to the International Air Transport Association. To keep up with that demand, the airlines are set to place record orders this year.

One of the industry’s biggest gatherings kicks off this weekend, with hundreds of executives meeting in New Delhi for IATA’s annual general meeting. Possible topics include the effect of tariffs and geopolitical dislocations on travel behavior, the shortage of new aircraft, and the industry’s goals to decarbonize.

Aircraft purchases typically don’t get announced at the event, though executives attending the AGM often meet behind closed doors to finalize deals they can then announce at the air show a few weeks later.