By Chaitali Bag
An ambitious move towards sustainability, the Singapore Airshow is embracing cleaner skies and welcoming a far larger assembly of international exhibitors. It is the most prominent aerospace and defence expo in Asia. From February 20th to the 25th, 2024, the event will return to its full size, welcoming over a thousand participating firms from over fifty nations and regions. Weekend@Airshow, formerly known as Public Days, will also be back.
Airbus, AVIC, BAE Systems, Boeing, Bombardier, COMAC, Dassault, GE Aerospace, General Dynamics, Honeywell, L3Harris, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rolls-Royce, RTX, Safran, ST Engineering, Textron Aviation, and Thales are among the renowned exhibitors that will be present at this year’s event, which boasts an impressive lineup featuring 90% of the top 20 aviation companies in the world. Additionally, there will be sixteen country pavilions, with Korea, China, and the Czech Republic all making their debut appearances.
At the ninth annual Singapore Airshow, held at Changi Exhibition Centre, government officials, business moguls, and military delegations will come together to discuss sustainable aviation, share ideas, and build partnerships that will help the aerospace and defence industry change its trajectory.
A wide variety of aircraft, including the C919 narrow-body airliner, the ARJ21 regional jet developed by Chinese aircraft manufacturer COMAC, and the Indian Air Force’s Sarang aerobatic team, will be on display at this year’s Singapore Airshow, ensuring that spectators of all ages will be enthralled by the spectacular flying displays.
Environmental consciousness at the heart of Singapore Airshow 2024
By elevating the sustainability message at the event through a series of key discussions and displays, Singapore Airshow 2024 will serve as an example of creativity and collaboration in the aviation sector as it responds to climate change concerns. At the event, attendees will have the chance to see a variety of sustainable aviation solutions, such as eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) developed by companies like Neste and Eve Air Mobility, as well as other solutions that are either already commercially available or in the works. These showcases aim to foster collaborations and new partnerships, which are crucial for the widespread adoption and scalability of sustainable solutions.
The Intersection of Innovation and Sustainability
The Singapore Airshow’s thought-leadership platform, AeroForum, will delve deeply into the most important challenges facing the aviation sector and serve as the event’s foundation for sustainability. Airbus, Boeing, Cathay Pacific, and Neste business leaders are among the attendees at the Sustainable Aviation Forum, which is co-hosted by the prestigious consulting firm McKinsey & Company. The forum’s two panels will discuss the possibilities and threats to attaining aviation’s goal of zero emissions. Important subjects covered include new rules and regulations, technical developments, and joint R&D projects to lessen the aviation industry’s impact on the environment.
The Singapore Airshow serves as a worldwide catalyst for collaboration, according to Oliver Plogmann, Partner, Singapore, McKinsey & Company. The industry has pledged to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, making these platforms crucial for bringing together the ideas, innovations, and new technology that will lead the way to a greener future. At the Singapore Airshow 2024, we are happy to join the industry in discussing sustainable aviation technology and helping to map out their future.
Three more AeroForum sessions will delve into other important topics, one of which is industry innovation.
A forum for aviation CEOs: Joining forces with FlightGlobal, this forum brings together top-level executives from BOC Aviation, CFM International, RiyadhAir, and ZipAir Tokyo to discuss global aviation sustainability initiatives, resilience in business, network and fleet optimization, and the rate of recovery.
Panelists from Air Asia, Archer Aviation, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Lilium, Vertical Aerospace, and Wisk Aero will discuss Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), a new form of air transport that is developing and could change the way people and goods are transported. This event is being co-hosted by Alton Aviation Consultancy.
At the China-Singapore Bilateral Aviation Forum, organized by the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics (CSAA) and the Association of Aerospace Industries (Singapore) (AAIS), speakers from AAR Group, Auxitrol Weston, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, and Eaton Aerospace will take part in two-panel discussions devoted to maintenance, repair, and innovation (MRO) and advanced manufacturing, respectively.
“As the aviation sector returns with a strong growth trajectory, the global platform and vibrant marketplace that Singapore Airshow offers will be critical as the industry seeks the solutions, ideas and partners that will help it navigate the challenges ahead,” stated Mr. Leck Chet Lam, Managing Director of Experia and organizer of Singapore Airshow 2024. In preparation for the event, which is expected to attract over 50,000 trade visitors and 1,000 participating companies, we have taken great care to curate our AeroForum series to focus on topics such as international cooperation, sustainability, and advanced air mobility so that attendees can engage in thought-provoking discussions with industry leaders.
Sustainable practices are integrated into every aspect of the Singapore Airshow. Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre Singapore is supplying a fleet of IONIQ 5 electric cars to transport event guests, marking a first-of-its-kind partnership. The IONIQ 5 is a green vehicle that Hyundai has built in Singapore, further demonstrating the company’s commitment to future sustainable mobility. Additionally, the Singapore Airshow is proud to announce a new partnership with CarbonClick, a tech company based in New Zealand that offers carbon-offsetting solutions to businesses and individuals. This partnership aims to make it easier for attendees to purchase high-quality carbon offsets, which can be used to fund climate projects like native reforestation and clean energy development. The process is simple, transparent, and meaningful.
New ideas
At the Singapore Airshow 2024, innovation will also be front and centre. Starburst, the first global aerospace and defence start-up accelerator, has partnered with What’s Next@Singapore Airshow to display groundbreaking technologies developed by forty-one brilliant start-ups hailing from over fifteen nations and regions, including the UK, Australia, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Slovakia, and the United States. The event aims to encourage innovation and support the industry’s transformation efforts. Concepts in novel technologies spanning sustainability, dual-use applications, and digitalization might be expected to be shared with potential investors, accelerators, and corporate partners.
Nurturing the pipeline of future talent
The mission of the Singapore Airshow goes beyond only showcasing the latest technology and having strategic discussions; it also seeks to create a stage for the development of future leaders in the aerospace and defence industries. Rolls Royce will host career talks and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) workshops at AeroCampus, which is expected to attract more than 3,000 students from secondary and tertiary institutions. Bell, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Hope Technik, Lufthansa Technik, the Republic of Singapore Air Force, and Rolls Royce are organising Student Ambassador Programmes. Joining forces with Science Centre Singapore and US-based Kallman Worldwide, the Endeavour Space Challenge and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU)’s Innovation Hangar Challenge are back for another year of inspiring the youth of today and tomorrow by showcasing the vast array of opportunities in the aerospace industry.
