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Approximately 60,000 industry commissioners at the Singapore show, a record number
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Participants say chain problems persist after the pandemic
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China’s COMAC Makes First Outdoor C919 Flight in Domestic Market
(Updated with final figures from industry participants)
By Xinghui Kok
SINGAPORE, Feb 23 (Reuters) – A record number of attendees attended the industrial segment of Singapore’s first fully post-pandemic airshow this week, with exhibitors and delegates positive about the aviation industry despite suppliers struggling to keep up with the uptick in demand.
Nearly 60,000 more people attended the show’s four industry days, nearly four times more than in 2022, when foreign visitors were required to undergo immediate daily testing for COVID-19, and more than the 54,000 visitors in 2018. The 2020 edition shook up the last cancellations in a matter of minutes as the virus spreads around the world.
Outside of Asia’s largest air show, transportation issues hampered arrivals and departures, especially the early days. On Tuesday, sluggish lines to and from the Expo’s public transportation hub led to waits of up to three hours in temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) and taxis to the city charge up to 3 times the same old fare.
“The worst transport experience: Rampant traffic and long waits for rides leave visitors to the Singapore Airshow frustrated,” reads the headline in the Straits Times newspaper.
Leck Chet Lam, managing director of industrial exhibition organiser Experia, attributed the attendance to “higher attendance than in previous editions”.
In the air-conditioned exhibition space, advertising exhibitors sold planes, drones, technology and surveillance equipment. The exhibits attracted buyers and enthusiasts, and on Wednesday the Korea Aerospace Industries booth created a waiting line for attendees to get autographs from pilots and pose. for selfies.
More than 1,000 publicity and advocacy people from 50 countries participated in the fair, organizers said.
Russian corporations have participated in the war in Ukraine, but Israeli corporations Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which walked out of the Dubai Airshow in November amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, did.
“The overall mood is incredibly positive, but also very demanding,” said Dennis Kohr, corporate sales director for the Asia-Pacific region at the Lufthansa Technik Group.
“This is the first airshow after the pandemic; there is only a massive demand for air travel, but also a massive demand for MRO services,” he added, referring to maintenance, repair and overhaul.
Natasha Pheiffer, regional managing director for Asia at British defence company BAE Systems, said it was wonderful to see participants face-to-face again.
“We’ve had a very busy week. . . to talk about long-term air capability, our autonomous area and aerial technologies, our cyber, electronic, maritime and land warfare offering, and our presence in Asia,” he said.
AERIAL DISPLAY
Delegates were able to brave the tropical heat during about an hour of aerial demonstrations each day, adding demonstration flights through air force groups from Singapore, South Korea and India, among others, and a C919 overpass, manufactured through the Chinese company COMAC. This is the first flight out of Chinese territory by COMAC’s local aircraft.
COMAC was also the first company to announce orders at the show, signaling an agreement with Tibet Airlines for 40 single-aisle C919 aircraft and 10 ARJ21 regional aircraft, as well as six ARJ21s for China’s Henan Civil Aviation Investment and Development Group.
Soon after, Royal Brunei Airlines announced that it had ordered 4 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
Airbus has announced an order for A350 freighters and 3 A330neo widebody aircraft from Starlux Airlines of Taiwan. Airbus has also reached an interim agreement with Vietnamese cheap airline VietJet for 20 A330neo widebody aircraft.
Sustainability is in the spotlight, with Singapore pronouncing a green jet fuel mandate that would be funded by a tax on travelers and air show organizers, highlighting the importance of protecting the environment, but the industry remains divided on how to achieve its goal of net-zero emissions. carbon emissions by 2050.
Supply chain disruptions have dampened some of the show’s optimism, with exhibitors citing long lead times and high costs, which have held the industry back since COVID and worsened after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The disruptions have been acute for raw tissues such as aerospace. quality metals.
Still, Paul Bolton, chief operating officer of First Aviation Services, hoped the worst was over and that growing demand would bring brands back into aerospace production.
“The scenario will be maybe in two or three years,” he said. (Reporting via Xinghui Kok; additional reporting by Brenda Goh; editing by Jamie Freed, Gerry Doyle and Mark Potter)