PRESS RELEASE
PR-009-2024
(21 February 2024, Singapore) The Philippine Embassy in Singapore, led by Charge d’ Affaires, a.i. Emmanuel R. Fernandez, joined fellow Philippine government officials in participating in the ongoing 9th Singapore Airshow, Asia’s biggest and most influential international aerospace and defense exhibition, taking place at the Changi Exhibition Center from 20 to 25 February 2024.
Held biennially, this year’s Singapore Airshow welcomed attendees back to a full-scale in-person event, with around 50,000 trade attendees and over 1,000 participating aviation and defense companies from 50 countries, including such giants as Airbus, Boeing and Lockheed Martin. An additional 60,000 visitors are expected during public days on 24 and 25 February.
During the Opening Ceremony on 19 February, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, Mr. Heng Swee Keat, said that despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the aviation and aerospace industries have seen a strong global rebound, with international passenger traffic almost back to pre-pandemic levels and new aircraft orders hitting a 5-year high of 3,850. He added that Singapore is positioned as a key player in the transformation of the aviation and aerospace industries, with a focus on supply chain resilience, sustainability, and talent development. Accordingly, Singapore is committed to leading by example in sustainability, with initiatives such as the Aviation Sustainability Programme and the Singapore Sustainable Air Hub Blueprint, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050 and promoting the use of sustainable aviation fuels.
The Philippine delegation was composed of representatives from the Department of National Defense, Department of Transportation (DoTr), Philippine Senate, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Air Force, and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).
The Philippine delegation visited booths displaying products of several large businesses and corporations in the world, and watched demonstrations by the air forces of Singaporean, India, the United States, South Korea, China, Indonesia and Australia, as well as some international civil airlines.
The Singapore Airshow likewise serves as a platform for stakeholders to collaborate, exchange ideas, and identify opportunities for innovation and partnership in driving the future growth and connectivity of the aviation and aerospace industries.
On 20 February 2024, Philippine Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista led the opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Philippine Pavilion, marking the country’s debut at the premier exhibition for the aviation industry. Carrying the theme, “One PH Aviation: Together We Fly”, the Philippine Pavilion was supported by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) in cooperation with the Department of Transportation (DOTr), BCDA, Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC), Aviation Association (AsBAA), and Berthaphil
Secretary Bautista was also in Singapore to participate in the 2nd Changi Aviation Summit held on 19 February 2024.
During the Airshow, Philippine Embassy officials also witnessed the signing ceremony for the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Joint Collaboration for Smart City Solutions in the Philippines between Filinvest Corporation of the Philippines and ST Engineering, a Singaporean multinational technology company in the aerospace, smart city, defense and public security sectors. (END)
