The Singapore Airshow 2022 is an iconic event, much as hosting a Formula One race here has been. The recent announcement of a new seven-year deal to continue hosting the race signalled that Singapore is committed to reopening and returning to the sporting life of the world in spite of the coronavirus pandemic both within its borders and outside them. Perhaps of greater international attraction is the airshow, which is a striking demonstration of a small state's prowess in organising an event of this magnitude. Every two years, high-level government and military delegations as well as senior corporate executives from around the world attend the airshow to forge partnerships and seal deals in this region. It is an event they do not want to miss. As Asia's most influential airshow, the Singapore event attracts leading aerospace companies and budding players that are eager to make their mark on the international aerospace and defence market.

This year's airshow is smaller in scale compared with those of previous years, with attendance hit by the uncertain Covid-19 situation globally and its accompanying restrictions. Nevertheless, the fact that it is being held at all attests to the logistical capabilities of the organisers and the trust that those attending it place on Singapore's capabilities to host it safely. Indeed, this is the largest trade event since the pandemic struck Singapore. Domestically, then, the show indicates that the country is very much in the league of major players in the aviation and aerospace sectors. It is not a small thing that the aerospace industry is recovering and managed to grow by 8.8 per cent last year. What has been possible amid the global disruption caused by Covid-19 can but only grow further once the world learns to live with the disease as an endemic fact of life.