The Singapore Airshow 2026, scheduled from 3 to 8 February 2026 at the Changi Exhibition Centre, is poised to be more than just a biennial gathering of industry actors. It marks a decade of the modern iteration of the event and two decades of sustained contribution to the global aerospace, defence, and space sectors. This tenth edition comes at a pivotal moment when the Asia-Pacific region is driving a majority share of industry growth, positioning the Airshow as a decisive platform for shaping strategic direction, facilitating commercial transactions, and accelerating technological adoption across various domains.
The timing of the Singapore Airshow 2026 aligns with robust macro trends reshaping the aviation landscape. The Asia-Pacific region accounted for 52% of global aviation industry growth in 2025, reflecting both structural demand for air connectivity and a rebound in passenger and cargo flows following earlier global disruptions. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) projects continued financial recovery in 2026, with aggregate airline net profits of US$41 billion and passenger volumes exceeding five billion travellers worldwide. These figures underscore a return to profitability across major carriers and point to an expansionary environment for aircraft orders, fleet modernization, and ancillary services.
Equally noteworthy is the projected intensification of capacity utilisation in the Asia-Pacific, with load factors expected to reach 84.4% in 2026—an all-time high for the region. This signals efficient utilisation of available capacity but also heightens pressure on infrastructure, air traffic management, and operational resilience. Within this context, the Singapore Airshow will provide a timely forum to address pressing capacity, sustainability, and regulatory challenges while facilitating investments that underpin future growth.
The Airshow convenes a wide spectrum of stakeholders, including global aerospace corporations, defence contractors, space-related enterprises, MRO providers, advanced manufacturing specialists, and innovative start-ups focused on autonomy, counter-UAS, AI computing, and space services. Over 1,000 participating companies from more than 50 countries and regions will collectively reflect the industry’s full value chain and its intersecting technological vectors. The presence of marquee OEMs and suppliers—such as Airbus, Boeing, COMAC, GE Aerospace, Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, Bell, Lockheed Martin, Leonardo, MBDA, Saab, Thales, Gulfstream, CATIC, SIA Engineering, and ST Engineering—signals continuity in demand for airframes, engines, and integrated systems.
Simultaneously, an emergent cohort of defence technology innovators and new-space actors—firms such as Anduril, Helsing, Quantum Systems, Shield AI, Quikbot, DroneShield, Edgecortix, Hawkeye 360, Radia, and Transcelestial—illustrates a qualitative shift toward software-centric, autonomous, and space-based capabilities. The juxtaposition of incumbents and disruptors at the Airshow will foster cross-fertilisation, accelerate procurement dialogues, and catalyse partnerships that integrate traditional platforms with advanced sensor, autonomy, and data analytics solutions.
Country pavilions spanning Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and expanded representations from Italy and China further reinforce the Airshow’s status as Asia-Pacific’s principal aerospace gateway. The record aggregate pavilion footprint not only demonstrates the region’s strategic importance to international suppliers and governments but also facilitates multinational cooperation in research, supply chain integration, and regional industrial participation.
The economic footprint of the Singapore Airshow extends beyond the immediate commerce of aircraft sales and defence contracts. The 2024 edition generated over S$391 million in economic activity and attracted upwards of 50,000 trade attendees and 60,000 public visitors. Such concentration of demand yields short-term boosts across hospitality, ground transport, logistics, and professional services. More importantly, the Airshow operates as an economic multiplier, catalysing inward investment, generating long-term procurement commitments, and fostering public-private collaborations that support workforce development and technology diffusion.
At a strategic level, the event serves as a focal point for governments and defence establishments to conduct high-level engagements, negotiate capability transfers, and coordinate multinational interoperability initiatives. As defence priorities evolve in response to regional security dynamics, cyber and space threats, and the integration of autonomous systems, the Airshow will be a venue for articulating doctrinal shifts, demonstrating new capabilities, and formalising acquisition frameworks that have implications for deterrence, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response.
A defining characteristic of the 2026 edition will be the pronounced emphasis on next-generation technologies. The convergence of autonomy, AI, resilient communications, and space-based intelligence is transforming