The 13th Asian Aerospace exhibition closed at Singapore's Changi Exhibition Center Sunday with dozens of deals worth 15.2 billion U.S. dollars being concluded, more than four times the amount achieved in last show two years ago.

This result came beyond the organizers' expectations, President of Asian Aerospace 2006 Ed Ng said in a statement Friday after four days of trade show ended that day.

INDIA: BIG BUYER

Most of the contracts signed this year are commercial in nature and the contents range from diverse products such as aircraft, engines, components and aerospace electronic equipment, to repair and maintenance services.

Indian companies proved to be one of the big buyers this year to feed the growing market back home as the air passenger traffic is said to have been increasing by 25 percent to 30 percent annually in recent years.

Air India placed an order worth over 2.2 billion U.S. dollars with the American engine maker General Electric to buy engines for its new Boeing 777 and 787 fleet, which the airlines had ordered earlier this year.

India-based budget airlines GoAir signed a deal of 1.2 billion U.S. dollars with Airbus to order 10 Airbus A320 planes with the option for another 10, while another Indian low cost carrier SpiceJet also ordered engines for a roughly equal amount of money.

ASIA-PACIFIC: GROWTH LEADER

As the Asia-Pacific region is expected to lead the growth in air passenger traffic over the next two decades, participants in Asian Aerospace 2006 showed their interest as well as confidence in the region, especially in China and India.

Boeing forecasts that orders for its newest B787 Dreamliner will reach some 3,500 over the next 20 years, of which 40 percent will come from the Asia-Pacific region.

Airbus, with orders for more than 2,100 airplanes at hand for the next five years, said that it is seeking for future cooperation in China and India.

For the Canadian company Bombardier, the world's third largest aerospace manufacturer after Airbus and Boeing, 15 of its last year's orders were from Asia, where it found landing access is easier to get than before.

Both focusing on the private jet business, Bombardier said that among its 323 private airplanes all over the world, 106 are in the Asia-Pacific region, while Brazilian company Embraer estimates that the number of private aircraft in Asia will rise by 9 percent annually in the next 10 years, much higher than the average 4 percent in other regions.

Believing that the airport markets in Asia Pacific will expand by 8 - 9 percent annually over the next decade with at least 145 new airports being planned in India and China alone, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise is committed to invest billions of U.S. dollars in airport development and operations, as well as in aircraft leasing.

Industry players like European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), Pratt & Whitney and Thales have also been actively setting up new facilities such as repair and maintenance centers, research and development centers and training centers in the region to tap into the growth opportunities here.

ASIAN AEROSPACE: ASIA'S BIGGEST AIRSHOW

While the business volume hit an all-time high this year, Asian Aerospace 2006 also registered record numbers of exhibitors and visitors.

A total of 21 national pavilions and more than 930 exhibitors from 43 countries showcased their latest products at Asia's biggest airshow which opened on Feb. 21. It attracted over 34,300 trade participants and more than 60,000 public visitors in six days.

Among the exhibitors are industry big names such as Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney, EADS, Rolls Royce, Bombardier and Thales.

Around 30 civil, military and business aircraft, including F-15 and F-16 fighters, Apache Longbow helicopter and Bombardier's business jets, were displayed in a static area outside the exhibition halls during the show.

However, it might be disappointing to some visitors that all these aircraft have been exhibited in airshows before and no new models were brought to Singapore this year.

No doubt an Airbus A380 double-decker jet was the star of Asian Aerospace 2006. It amazed viewers by its size, quietness and agile maneuver during the daily flying displays and several delicately- made A380 models shown in the exhibition hall had always been surrounded by flocks of curious visitors.

With a capacity of 555 passengers in three classes, which is 30 percent more than a Boeing 747-400, the plane is believed to be the biggest passenger aircraft in the world.

So far, 16 airliners, including Singapore Airlines (SIA), Qantas Airlines and Malaysia Airlines, have ordered 159 A380s. The first delivery is expected in November this year to SIA, its first customer.

Apart from the Airbus A380, several other aircraft, including an F-15C Eagle, an F-16C Falcon, a Raytheon T-6B, an Aermacchi M- 311, a Pilatus PC-21 and two Israel-made Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) also showed their moves in the aerial displays.

HONG KONG: NEXT VENUE

Having a history of 25 years, the biennial Asian Aerospace has been held in Singapore since 1985, but it will leave the city state for Hong Kong next year.

London-based Reed Exhibitions, which owns the Asian Aerospace brand name, announced the decision earlier this month after failing to reach an agreement with the Singapore government on developing a new venue for the show.

The company believes that Hong Kong is not only the perfect gateway to the Chinese market, which is important with great potential, but also a highly-connected aviation hub with direct access to other large emerging markets like India, Thailand and the Middle East.

To be held in September next year at AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong's largest exhibition and events complex integrated with the Hong Kong International Airport, the next Asian Aerospace will run for four days with a trade-only focus.

Meanwhile, the Singapore government announced that a new series of airshows, the Singapore Airshow, is scheduled to make its debut in 2008 to replace the Asian Aerospace.

Source: Xinhua