Singapore - Aerospace

Aerospace

Last published date: 2024-01-05

Overview

Singapore’s aerospace industry has maintained a leading position in the Asia-Pacific market. Growing by a compounded annual growth rate of 8.6% over the past two decades and a total annual output of more than $8.0 billion, the Singapore aerospace industry is a key economic driver for Singapore. As a one-stop center for all maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services and a large precision engineering supplier, Singapore has captured over 10% of the global MRO market.

Singapore enjoys excellent connectivity and an efficient supply chain. It is further strengthening its infrastructure to ride future growth trends. The Seletar Aerospace Park is a centerpiece of this effort. Spanning 300ha, the dedicated aerospace park will host an integrated cluster of activities including aerospace MRO; design and manufacture of aircraft systems, components, and light aircraft; business and general aviation activities; and a regional aerospace campus for aerospace education, research, and training.

Singapore’s MRO business segment is robust. Backed by a pool of over 130 aerospace companies, Singapore has become the leading aviation hub in Asia-Pacific, contributing over a quarter of the region’s MRO output. Leading players such as ST Engineering Aerospace and SIA Engineering Company carry out comprehensive nose-to-tail MRO services. Singapore is also a center for regional parts distribution and warehousing.

As the leading aviation hub in Asia Pacific, Singapore continues to build on its infrastructure to ride future growth trends. Changi Terminal 5 (T5) is set to be one of the world’s largest airport terminals when completed sometime during in 2030-2035. T5 will handle up to 50 million passengers a year in the initial phase of operation, increasing the airport’s total annual passenger handling capacity to 135 million. They will host an integrated cluster of activities including aerospace MRO; cargo/industrial zone, and a three-runway system and network of inter and intra-terminal tunnels. These investments will go a long way to maintain, if not enhance Singapore’s MRO hub status in the region, given that the global aviation market has now started reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Singapore has launched 16 small satellites since 2011, and ongoing partnerships with companies and research institutions aim to further develop its small satellite capability and create new space applications and services. Singapore will continue to invest in small satellite R&D but channel its resources to build deep and differentiated capabilities in a few selected areas including leveraging quantum cryptography to explore commercial applications in secure communications of sensitive data for telecoms and financial industries.

Rapid technological advances and digitalization are changing manufacturing processes. New market segments such as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have emerged. These industry trends will create opportunities in areas such as data science, additive manufacturing design, and robotics engineering.

Table: Aerospace Market Size, million USD
	2020	2021	2022	2023 estimated
Total Local Production	1,796	1,715	1,275	1,398
Total Exports	15,671	13,631	12,306	13,596
Total Imports	21,418	18,052	19,216	19,515
Imports from the US	11,645	11,070	11,446	12,110
Total Market Size	7,543	6,136	8,185	7,317
Exchange Rates	1.39	1.35	1.38	1.33

Units: $ millions
Source: IHS Markit

Leading Sub-Sectors

Besides MRO services, sales prospects for products related to aircraft repair and overhaul, such as repair equipment for landing gears and nacelle, brake linings, tires, engines and fuel systems, avionics systems and equipment, fan blades, test equipment, etc. will likely remain strong over the next few years. Going forward, besides strengthening the MRO cluster, the aerospace manufacturing and R& D segments will also be further developed. Products designed and manufactured in Singapore include engine casings, engine gears, valves, seat actuators, and electrical power systems, among others.

Opportunities

Singapore is consistently developing its aerospace industry, particularly in its MRO and space segments. This will undoubtedly provide great growth opportunities in Singapore for MRO, space activities, and the supply of aircraft parts and systems. Suppliers of satellite-based quantum technologies for commercial applications should also represent opportunities in the Singapore space industry.

To support the long-term growth of the logistics and aerospace industries, an industrial zone will be developed for airfreight and air express operators, as well as MRO activities. These developments will offer excellent opportunities for U.S. businesses to supply the aerospace sector in Singapore.

With 5 passenger terminals, 8 airfreight terminals and 3 runways that will be complete sometime between 2030-2035, Changi Airport is well positioned for the next era of aviation.