Singapore Airshow opens for business, heavy participation from Asia-Pacific region

Singapore: The Singapore Airshow took off the blocks in grand style at the Changi Exhibition Centre, basking in the glory of being billed as Asia's number one airshow.

The airshow is expected to reflect the buoyancy being felt in the region, which has shown a 13.3 per cent year-on-year growth rate in the aerospace business.

For the record, over 827 companies from more than 42 countries are participating in the airshow. The numbers, according to Jimmy Lau, managing director of the Singapore Airshow, include a large contingent from the Asia-Pacific region apart from participants from the western world. ''This is the largest Asia Pacific delegation at any show, with 80 per cent of the delegates from the region,'' said Lau.

Singapore is now a leading centre in the region for aerospace companies from around the world setting up maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities as well as training and development centres in the island nation.

Defence exhibitors constitute 55 per cent of the total participation at the air show, which is taking place at a 30-hectare exhibition site dedicated for the purpose. 

While global aerospace majors Airbus, Boeing Lockheed Martin, Agusta Westland, BAE Systems, Bell Helicopters and Eurocopter are present here, Indian marquees are also making their presence felt at the stalls. Prominent are Tata Advanced Materials, State-funded defence laboratory, the Aeronautical Development Agency, premier Asian Space research and applications agency, ISRO, and India's glamour outfit in defence aerospace, if one may dub them so, BrahMos Aerospace.

BrahMos has developed the supersonic cruise missile of the same name, which it is looking to export to friendly nations.

The Singapore event, which opened today, will run until Sunday.