CINDY KOH

The global aerospace industry has turned the corner and is now well poised for growth. As at August 2023, global air traffic has returned to 95% of pre-pandemic levels. Singapore’s efforts to preserve core talent and capabilities during the pandemic had paid off, thanks to the support from key partners like the Association of Aerospace Industries (Singapore) (AAIS). These efforts have allowed our aerospace industry to respond quickly to the recovery in air travel.

Post-pandemic, securing talent and supply chain are key priorities for aerospace companies to support their rebound and growth. We will continue to invest in building our local talent pipeline, including strengthening work-study pathways and providing more opportunities for talent to join the industry. We are also partnering with our aerospace companies to identify, develop, and qualify our Singapore-based suppliers, which would help mitigate supply chain risks and strengthen operational resilience.

Innovation is key to maintaining Singapore’s long-term relevance. We will continue to forge partnerships between global aerospace companies and local Small and Medium Enterprises to develop new manufacturing and repair technologies, so that Singapore’s operations remain best-in-class and create greater value.

We are also on the lookout to capture growth from emerging opportunities in sustainability and Advance Air Mobility (AAM). With the need to decarbonise the aviation sector, we will work with like-minded partners to pre-position Singapore for the shift towards sustainability. We also recognise that AAM will be an important entry point for new sustainability-related technologies like electrification. With this in mind, we will work to build up an AAM ecosystem in Singapore by developing use cases, infrastructure, and operating frameworks in partnership with international regulators and industry players.

Looking ahead, we must continue to work together to overcome the challenges of today and take advantage of future opportunities.