Rob Holmes – MAA Director, Chair of the BDG and Vice-President Aerospace at Hardide Coatings – reflects on what it means for the supply chain
Following the return of Singapore Airshow, Rob Holmes – MAA Director, Chair of the Business Development Group and Vice-President Aerospace at Hardide Coatings – reflects on what it means for the supply chain.
Singapore Airshow returned to the aerospace event calendar recently and, although the event was much smaller – with around half the exhibitors of previous years – it demonstrated early confidence in the aerospace industry’s recovery.
Singapore Airlines firmed up an order for seven Airbus A350F freighter aircraft, with options for five more; and Collins Aerospace signed a long-term MRO agreement to support the airline’s fleet of 55 Boeing 787 aircraft.
Signs of increased market confidence also showed in other aircraft orders, including Etihad’s seven Airbus A350F freighters, JetBlue’s 30 additional Airbus A220-300s and Western Global Airlines’ two Boeing 777 freighters.
Throughout the show, there was intense interest and discussion around urban air mobility as part of aviation’s commitment to environmental sustainability. AirAsia signed a non-binding MOU to lease a minimum of 100 VX3 eVTOL aircraft from Avolon. Australia’s Microflite and HeliSpirit ordered up to a total 90 low-noise zero-emission eVTOLS from Eve UAM (an Embraer company).
As part of a further commitment to environmental sustainability, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Safran and Singapore Airlines signed the Global SAF Declaration at the show, promising to promote the acceleration of the development, production, and consumption of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The declaration calls on aerospace, aviation, and fuel value chains to work jointly towards the uptake of SAF as an important part of decarbonisation. The ambition is to ensure a steady ramp from limited quantities (40,000 tonnes in 2019) to 4 million tonnes by 2025, with more than a hundred-fold increase to 500 million tonnes by 2050.
During the show, Roll-Royce also expressed strong interest in potentially providing an engine for Embraer’s proposed new 70-90-seat regional turboprop project. If the bid was successful, it would mark a return to the single-aisle engine market for the manufacturer.
It was also clear that MRO was picking up as aircraft return to service across the world.
Singapore Airshow demonstrated the benefits of supply chain companies attending major international air shows. In addition to access to see new technological developments and hear the visions of the industry’s key players, there were great networking opportunities, for example those run by the Department of International Trade. And, where else but air shows is it possible for supply chain representatives to directly approach senior leaders from major industry primes?
Farnborough International Airshow will be the next major opportunity for supply chain companies to promote products and services, network and reach potential buyers all in one place. Why not join the MAA on our stand at the heart of the UK Pavilion? There are just a few spaces left. Find out more and apply here.
