Singapore Airshow takes off

Singapore: The first edition of the Singapore Airshow took off today at the Changi Exhibition Centre in grand style.
At a time when the region has shown a 13.3 per cent year-on-year growth rate in the aerospace business, Singapore?s premier airshow is being billed as a platform for the industry?s road forward.
Over 827 companies from more than 42 countries are participating in the airshow.
According to Jimmy Lau, managing director of the Singapore Airshow, a large contingent from the Asia-Pacific region is also present at the show, 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 fast becoming a centre for aerospace companies, with leading manufacturers from around the world setting up maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities as well as training and development centres in the island country.
The 741-acre Seletar Aerospace Park in Singapore is being developed just for such purposes.
The major focus of the show is the defence exhibitors, who constitute 55 per cent of the total participation. The 30-hectare exhibition site itself is a new facility dedicated for exhibitions.
Participation is varied, ranging from Airbus and Boeing, with Airbus having brought in the Airbus A-380 for aerial display to the B-1 Lancer heavy-class bomber from the USAF and the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter mockup from Lockheed Martin. Even companies like Eurocopter, Bell helicopters, Agusta Westland and BAE have a significant presence here.
Indian companies are participating under one roof with Tata Advanced Materials, Aeronautical Development Agency and ISRO and BrahMos being part of the contingent.
The aero show though has been constrained by lack of space. Outdoor aircraft exhibits are closely stacked and the aerial displays too are limited. Since the air show utilises the runways of Changi airport for aerial display, air traffic to and out of the airport has been curtailed for a period of 90 minutes each day.
19/02/08 Rohin Nagrani/Business Standard

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Foreign Feb 2008, Singapore Airshow 2008