SINGAPORE — The Republic is fast becoming the top player in Asia Pacific’s aviation and aerospace industry, with a growing number of companies setting up shop here to leverage on its robust infrastructure and talent pool.

And as Singapore kick-starts its biggest airshow yet this week, a strong global interest in Asia’s growth opportunities should further cement its status as a regional hub.

“Today, there are more than 100 aerospace companies in Singapore that provide many good jobs and exciting careers for Singaporeans,” Mr Yeoh Keat Chuan, Managing Director of the Economic Development Board (EDB), told TODAY.

There is a growing cluster of companies that are expanding their presence in the Seletar Aerospace Park, he noted, where companies such as Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, Bombardier and Meggitt have made significant investments.

“Our talent and capabilities position Singapore well to ride this growth,” he added. “The prospects for the aerospace industry in Singapore are very bright.”

Around 35,000 new aircraft are set to be delivered worldwide in the next two decades, with a third in the Asia-Pacific, the EDB said. “With our strategic location, Singapore is well positioned to ride this growth.”

Reflecting the allure of Asia, the number of participants at the Airshow this year has grown around 10 per cent from the last event in 2012 to over 1,000 companies from 47 countries. The show will also feature more than 90 display aircraft, up from 2012’s 72.

The United States, as this year’s feature country, has 163 companies at the show, including global giants Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Textron. Its stronger presence at the Airshow in part highlights the country’s commitment to Asia, US Ambassador to Singapore Kirk Wagar told reporters.

“The real opportunity for growth is in Asia and a lot of our companies are already in this region, developing relationships with strategic partners … But with the Airshow, we also want to re-emphasise (US) President Barack Obama’s balance to Asia,” he said. “This is one of the most tangible weeks where people will see and understand what the US’s rebalancing to Asia is all about.”

Meanwhile, ST Engineering also hopes to wow its international clients and folks at home during the Airshow, with the Singapore company taking up the biggest floor space this year.

“We are showcasing our capabilities incorporating the latest technologies in aviation, combat and environmental solutions,” Executive Vice-President Of International Marketing Patrick Choy told TODAY.

“We have grown with Singapore over the past 40 years and our revenue from commercial business is now more than 60 per cent of our total revenue,” Mr Choy added. “Today, we serve customers across Asia, North America, the Middle East and Europe.” As a result, ST Aerospace — the group’s aviation arm — is ranked the world’s top maintenance service provider, having clocked 11.5 million hours of maintenance man-hours for commercial airframes globally in 2012.

However, even with growing success at home and abroad, much remains to be done for Singapore’s aerospace industry, Mr Yeoh said. Part of that is to expand infrastructure to accommodate future growth. “To meet growing demand, we are working with JTC to accelerate Phase 3 development at Seletar Aerospace Park, which will add 60 more hectares of industrial land,” he said. “Singapore’s master plan for Changi East will also include a third runway and a Terminal 5 by mid-2020s, expanding our passenger handling capacity to 135 million people per annum.”