Asia’s biggest air show kicks off in Singapore with Israeli firms present – but no Russians

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China’s C919: first home-grown airliner makes international debut

The strong international participation comes as borders have fully reopened after Covid-19.

“When I look at 2023, in effect, I’m looking at an industry that I think is very similar in shape and size to what we saw in 2019,” IATA Director General Willie Walsh said at a pre-show summit on Monday. “So going forward, I think you should expect us to stop making reference back to 2019 and to start looking at the industry in a normal way.”

However, major suppliers, planemakers and engine producers have struggled to keep up with the rebound in demand after the sharp downturn during the pandemic led to job losses, freight snarls and an industry-wide skills shortage.

Airbus this month announced a further delay in entry to service of its long-range A321XLR single-aisle jet to the third quarter from the second. Suppliers said that Airbus is producing around 50 A320neo family jets a month compared to a production plan that had foreseen 58 by end-2023.

The production issues are delaying the ability of airlines to replace older jets with more fuel-efficient models as the industry looks to meet its goal of “net zero” emissions by 2050.

Airlines are also looking to buy as much sustainable aviation fuel as possible to help lower their carbon emissions, even though it costs up to five times as much as conventional jet fuel.