Singapore hosts new aviation expo as Asia-Pac business jet fleet set to outnumber global average
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Running from March 4 to 6, the Business Aviation Asia Forum and Expo is expected to welcome around 2,000 attendees.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE – The number of business jets in the Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at a rate of 2.1 per cent a year from 2025 to 2034, faster than the global average of 1.4 per cent.
Speaking to the media at a press conference for the inaugural Business Aviation Asia Forum and Expo on March 4, Mr Leck Chet Lam, managing director of organiser Experia Events, cited these updated figures from aviation analysis platform Aviation Week Intelligence Network to explain how an international event dedicated to business aviation in Asia was birthed.
He added that within the Asia-Pacific, market sentiment has improved, as 58 per cent of business aviation professionals said in the fourth quarter of 2024 that they intend to buy a business aircraft within the next year, up from 51.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2019. The data comes from aviation consultancy Asian Sky Research.
Noting that these figures signal positive developments in Asia-Pacific’s business aviation market, Mr Leck said he expects to see “healthy growth” in this sector over the next 10 years, given the high demand for luxury travel in this region.
Running from March 4 to 6, the Business Aviation Asia Forum and Expo at the Changi Exhibition Centre is expected to welcome around 2,000 attendees from more than 50 countries over three days.
Among the 31 exhibitors are Chinese jet manufacturer Amber Aviation, Boeing Business Jets and Lufthansa maintenance, repair and overhaul subsidiary Lufthansa Technik.
A model of Boeing Business Jets 737-7 on display during the Business Aviation Asia Forum and Expo 2025 at Changi Exhibition Centre on March 4.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
The event also features conferences on topics such as market outlook, sustainability, passenger experience and airports.
Experia Events also organises the biennial Singapore Airshow, which was last run in February 2024.
On why Singapore was chosen as the location for the event, Mr Leck said the nation is close to the rest of the Asia-Pacific and has robust financial and legal infrastructure to allow deals to take place.
When asked why a dedicated event for business aviation was launched and its potential impact on the long-running Singapore Airshow, Mr Leck said that past business aviation exhibitors at the Singapore Airshow had indicated that they wanted a show of their own.
Among the 31 exhibitors are Amber Aviation, Boeing Business Jets and Lufthansa Technik.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
He added that the primary focus of the Singapore Airshow is commercial aviation and defence, so the business aviation exhibitors might feel “a little overwhelmed” by the presence of other big players.
“If you’re thinking (that this dedicated event is) cannibalisation, I don’t think so. I think it’s growing the value chain,” said Mr Leck.
He noted that close to 85 per cent of the exhibitors at the Business Aviation Asia Forum and Expo do not participate in the Singapore Airshow, so the dedicated business aviation event will provide a platform for more players to come to the market.
About 590 exhibitors took part in the Singapore Airshow in 2024, which drew nearly 60,000 trade visitors.
