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SINGAPORE—The inaugural Business Aviation Asia Forum & Expo (BAAFEx) opened at Singapore Changi Exhibition Centre to a small but crowded exhibit hall and standing-room only conference sessions.
The timing was right, organizers say, with the end of the Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition, and a growing market. ABACE was last held in 2019.
The Asia Pacific market is the third largest in the world now, Leck Chet Lam, managing director of Experia Events, said during a media presentation on opening day. Experia, which runs the Singapore Air Show, is the organizer of the event. “I think that’s a good starting point,” he said. “The fundamentals are strong.”
The show opened with the “Rolling of the Pineapple” where exhibitors tossed stuffed pineapples representing prosperity on stage and featured Chinese dragons. Some attendees remarked that the first day’s crowds were higher than expected.
The business aviation market in Asia Pacific is growing and at an aggressive pace, Chet Lam said. Most importantly, it’s growing at a faster pace than the worldwide average, he said, citing Aviation Week Network forecast data. Flying hours and utilization are surpassing pre-pandemic levels and expanding.
Demand for maintenance, repair and overhaul services in the region are forecasted to grow at a faster pace than the rest of the world over the next 10 years. That leads to increased demand for pilots, technicians, engineers, training and services.
“Businesses are recovering; executives are traveling; investments are inbound in Asia Pacific, (and) Asia Pacific is also investing in the rest of the world, so it needs travel,” Chet Lam said.
Demand for private travel is increases with growth in the world’s ultra-high net worth population, meaning those with $50 million or more.
Asia Pacific has experienced economic growth of 5% in 2023 and 2024, he said.
“I think more interesting is that we are seeing emerging economies in this part of the world—countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos. I think these are just starting to grow,” Chet Lam said. Markets like Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore, are expected to continue to grow over the next 10 years.
Singapore is an ideal location for BAAFEx because of its proximity to the market, business friendly environment, its position as a global financial center, legal framework and available space for exhibitors and a static display for aircraft, he says.
The time was right to launch BAAFEx because this part of the world does not have an international event dedicated to business aviation.
The first show has attracted more than 50 exhibitors representing a wide spectrum of businesses and services and a broad range of attendees, Chet Lam said. The show includes a conference with daily panel discussions.
“I think we see a vacuum that we can step in,” Chet Lam said. “We are launching this show, and I think it’s going to be a success, not just for the next three days, but also in years to come.”
The next show will be held alternate years from the biennial Singapore Airshow. The next BAAFEx is scheduled for April 4-6, 2027.
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