The Singapore Airshow saw more than US$13.4 billion in sales of aircraft and related equipment this week, thanks to a booming aviation market, organizers have said.
Another US$2.6 billion was generated from contracts for facilities and other services, they said in a statement issued late on Friday, at the inaugural event.
The small but wealthy city-state decided to host its own airshow after organizers of the Asian Aerospace fair moved the event to Hong Kong.
PHOTO: AFP
The biggest deal that was announced at the airshow was an order for 56 Boeing 737-900ER aircraft worth more than US$4.4 billion by Indonesian low-cost carrier Lion Air.
Indonesian flag-carrier Garuda ordered four Boeing 777-300ERs worth US$1 billion and business jet operator BJets signed a US$600 million contract for 40 Cessna and Hawker jets.
US-based Boeing's European rival said it had secured orders for five A330-200F cargo planes from BOC Aviation, an aircraft leasing firm fully owned by Bank of China (
The deal is worth a total of US$877 million at catalog prices.
"The new deals announced at the airshow demonstrate once again that Asia is the world's fastest-growing aerospace market," said Jimmy Lau, managing director of the event's organizers.
He said 70 percent of the exhibitors have already confirmed bookings for the biennial event in 2010 being held at a new seaside location near Changi Airport.
Lau promised "an even bigger and better" show in 2010, saying this year's event already had 40 percent more exhibition area than Asian Aerospace which was last held in Singapore in 2006 and saw US$15.2 billion in deals.
More than 30,000 accredited industry professionals visited the airshow and numbers were expected to grow as opened to the public at the weekend.
Organizers have dubbed the Singapore Airshow as Asia's biggest aerospace event because it has civilian and defense components, while Asian Aerospace has focused on commercial aviation after its shift to Hong Kong.
More than 800 exhibitors from 42 countries, including US defense firms Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, took part in the airshow that featured the latest warplanes, unmanned aerial vehicles and executive business jets.
"Asia is a vital market for us and it has been our constant endeavor to establish and strengthen our ties with this dynamic region," said Bernard Buisson, Singapore managing director for EADS, which owns Airbus.
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