Singapore Airshow kicks off with aerial displays; Boeing and China's COMAC announce new orders
The Singapore Airshow – Asia's largest – kicks off Tuesday with an array of aerial displays including some by China’s COMAC C919 narrow-body airliner
SINGAPORE — The Singapore Airshow — Asia’s largest — kicked off Tuesday with an array of aerial displays including some by China’s COMAC C919 narrow-body airliner, with aircraft manufacturers such as COMAC and Boeing announcing new orders.
It’s the first time Singapore will open the event to the public since 2020, when a scaled-down version went ahead as the COVID-19 pandemic was just starting.
The biennial show comes as Asia’s aviation sector is taking off following the hard years of the pandemic, when many countries in the region closed their borders to most international travel.
Subhas Menon, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, said that this year's show was “back in full swing” with over 1,000 exhibitors.
“The Singapore Airshow is a good opportunity for exhibitors to show off the direction they’re going, in terms of technology like autonomous vehicles and so forth,” Menon said in an interview Tuesday.
He said passenger loads in the region are nearly back to pre-COVID levels, and that Asia Pacific is expected to account for 50% of the growth in air travel demand this year.
But even as the aviation sector bounces back, the industry faces a broader supply chain crunch, with parts and plane shortages and shortages of personnel, from air crews to pilots.
“Supply chain issues are definitely affecting the timely delivery of aircraft and spares, and that’s one of the reasons why capacity growth is lagging behind traffic growth,” Menon said.
“We do not know when this will ease as it’s related to trade tensions and geopolitical problems that are
Read more on abcnews.go.com
