Fasten Your Seat Belts: Singapore Airshow Ready for Take Off

[HD video below] One of the world’s largest aerospace and defence exhibitions, the Singapore Airshow, is putting the final touches in place ready for its official trade opening on Tuesday, and the public displays which will take place on Saturday and Sunday (6 - 7 February). The bi-annual event brings together the who’s who in the aerospace and defence industries, including key political and military leaders.

 Despite the global economic downturn, the Singapore Airshow is expecting more than 250 delegations from close to 80 countries/regions, surpassing that of the inaugural show in 2008. This year’s show has also achieved another key milestone, having strong pre-registered attendance numbers of over 12,000. More than 30 airline CEOs will be in town during the week.

Singapore Airshow 2010 will see the participation of 800 exhibiting companies from over 40 countries including 62 of the top 100 global aerospace companies. There will also be an increase in the number of country / group pavilions from 18 to 22, with New Zealand, Switzerland, Romania and Russia being the latest additions. Reflecting the vote of confidence from its exhibitors, more than 85% of the 2008 exhibitors will be returning to this year’s show, a testament of the event’s ability to achieve proven ROI for its participants and to just how very well Singapore manages such large events.

“We are extremely delighted with the positive response that we have received so far even before the start of our show. This is definitely a good indication of the increasing confidence of major players as the industry slowly emerges from the recent downturn. Being the first major airshow taking place at the beginning of the year, it will enable the entire industry to feel the pulse and set the tone for what we can expect for the year ahead,” said Mr. Jimmy Lau, Managing Director, Singapore Airshow & Events (SAe).

Not only will new initiatives like the Business Forums and the Green Pavilion be introduced during show time, participants can also look forward to the key conferences - Singapore Airshow Aviation Leadership Summit (SAALS), the Asia Pacific Security Conference (APSEC) and the New Challenges in Technology & Maintenance Conference 2010 (NCATMC). These conferences provide a good platform for different parties to gather for insightful exchanges on pertinent issues.

Several announcements are expected to be made by the exhibitors during the Singapore Airshow Week. Amongst the announcements made will be the Singapore Aero Engine Services Pte Ltd (SAESL) extension opening on 2 February 2010 and the A380 Hangar Opening by SIA Engineering Company on 3 February 2010.

“Asia is the key to the long-term growth of the industry and Singapore Airshow, being at the heart of the action, will be an effective springboard to the region. We are confident that Singapore Airshow is well poised to open doors to these opportunities,” Mr. Lau said.

Video of the Pre-Singapore Airshow Press Conference on 31 January 2010

As the press conference was around 36 minutes long, we have edited bits out, and cut it up into three sections:

PART I

PART II

PART III

Other: Videos from Singapore Airshow 2010

Some shots from the dress rehearsal flight display.

Static aircraft display at Singapore Airshow 2010 on 2 February 2010. (more like this further down)

Singapore Airshow 2010 Planes - Static Display. A collection of some of the amazing fighter jets, helicopters and business jets that are in Singapore for the 2010 Singapore Airshow.

The first A330-200F in the flight test campaign - MSN1004 - which took to the skies in November 2009 powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines, has been successfully evaluating handling qualities, performance, as well as undertaking tests regarding the autopilot and autoland systems. MSN1004 has been on cold-weather testing in Canada and will also carry out hot-weather trials in the Far-East.

The new freighter is the latest addition to the A330 Family and will enter service later this year. The A330-200F can carry more than 69 tonnes of cargo on non-stop flights of 3,200 nautical miles. The aircraft features a versatile main-deck cargo loading system, which can accommodate both pallets and containers, enabling operators to serve the freight lift needs of varying markets.

In addition to the above video, ASIA Travel Tips.com will have a lot of HD video coverage from the Singapore Airshow - interviews, previews, press conferences and of course, a few of the thrilling displays as well.

More: Videos from Singapore Airshow 2010

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