
9 Czech companies at the Czech Pavilion at Singapore Airshow 24
27.02.2024 / 09:16 | Aktualizováno: 28.02.2024 / 05:58
Nine companies from the aerospace industry manned the Czech national stand at the Singapore Airshow from 20 to 25 February 2024. They were supported by a delegation led by Deputy Minister of Defence Mr. Daniel Blažkovec, who attended over 15 bilateral meetings with foreign partners during the first two days of the fair. On the outside stand, guests were introduced to the L 410 NG aircraft, which landed at Changi Airport after covering more than 11,000 kilometres and embodied a physical demonstration of the complete capabilities of the Czech aerospace industry.
The strong representation of nine Czech companies, which participated in the Singapore Airshow for the first time since the reopening of the Czech Embassy in the country, both strengthened the existing cooperation and opened negotiations with completely new partners from the Southeast Asian region. It is the furthest destination where the Czech aerospace industry has presented itself under one roof of a shared national exposition. The represented companies are also among the most important players of the Czech aerospace industry: Aero Vodochody, Aircraft Industries (LET), Aveo Engineering, Czech Airlines Technics, Research and Testing Aviation Institute, CSG Aerospace, Omnipol, PBS and Shark Aero. The Ministries of Industry and Trade, Defence and Foreign Affairs joined forces with the Aerospace Industries Association (ALKP) to carry out the exposition, which is among the most unique stand-outs at the Singapore Airshow with its two-floor design. "With our premiere at the Singapore Airshow, we are expanding the geography of official participation at global airshows. It is the first time we have reached Asia with a national exposition at an airshow and we have left a significant footprint," said ALKP President Josef Kašpar.
A delegation led by Deputy Minister of Defence Daniel Blažkovec also came to support the commercial participation. "We are here for you and our mission is to help you promote your interests in foreign markets," Deputy Minister Blažkovec assured Czech companies at the opening of the premiere participation in the Singapore airshow, adding: "Together with Czech companies, we are setting the agenda to get into negotiations with the most relevant partners and we want to create conditions that will help them open doors to new markets and opportunities." Already during the first day, the Czech delegation started a marathon of meetings with which it broke the record of its previous participation in world airshows - during the opening Tuesday alone, meetings were held with delegations from Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Brazil. Representatives of Czech companies, supported by Deputy Minister Blažkovec and Czech Ambassador to Singapore Michaela Froňková, also held inter-company talks with SAAB, MBDA, Indonesian Aerospace and Kawasaki. An important point for the Czech participation in Singapore was also a meeting with the leaders of the local multinational technology and engineering group ST Engineering, which plays a leading role in the field of aviation, smart cities, defence, maritime transport, public transport systems and public security. "ST Engineering is a hundred-billion-dollar business, and its position as a supply integrator for the Singapore military, including repair and maintenance, is significant. During the meeting with the CEO, which we managed to arrange, we identified opportunities for Czech companies also in the holding's space programmes," said Michaela Froňková, Czech Ambassador to Singapore.
Aircraft Industries, owned by Omnipol, was also present at the Airshow. Its L 410 NG aircraft could be marveled at on the outside grounds, 5 days and 11,387km since it took off from Kunovice, Czechia airport at 7am on 11 February. It spent thirty-four hours in the air and made 7 stopovers. This proves that the L 410 NG has a strong potential application on the Asian market and the local great interest in the "four-ten" is a promising signal to establish an active cooperation.