Notes from the ground at the Singapore Airshow 2026: what’s changing beneath the spectacle
- Grace Phua
- 14 hours ago
- 4 min read
Even this year, the first thing you notice is still the same.
I arrived at the Singapore Airshow expecting to be moved by the sky acrobatics. And I was, in the obvious ways.
Up on the media deck, the roar hits before I realise I am holding my breath.
Around me, people tilt their heads, squinting towards the sky on both sides. You see multiple cameras go up. Then the continuous roar-booms, followed by thin white lines cutting cleanly through the sky.
As my eyes adjusted to the sharp sun (I forgot my sunnies), I put my camera down and watched the show with my bare eyes.
There is no slow build-up. You are dropped straight into the full spectacle, aircraft pushing against gravity in every direction at once.
If the helicopters wowed me last year, they did again this year. The ones that stayed with me most were from the Indian Air Force Sarang Helicopter Display Team. They twist, pause and pivot with a kind of muscular confidence.
Up in the sky, they stop feeling like the awkward cousins of faster aircraft, and start to feel unexpectedly expressive.
Aerial photos by S.L.
We also absolutely loved the creative discipline of the Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16s and Apaches slipping through tight formations, and the People’s Liberation Army Air Force Bayi Aerobatic Team, whose colour-filled formations swept across the sky with no-space-for-doubt confidence.
But once we stepped back indoors, the sounds fade into the background of the exhibition halls. It became clear that the 2026 Singapore Airshow is showing a different side of the industry from what plays out in the sky.
Here are three things we noticed inside the exhibition halls, even though the aerial displays will probably always be our highlight.
Space is no longer treated as a side curiosity
Space finally had its own place in the Airshow week.
The Singapore Airshow Space Summit runs over two days, from 2 to 3 February 2026, as a separate programme alongside the main exhibition. Regulation, infrastructure, commercial satellites, data and connectivity, and what has to be in place before any of this can scale.
The timing is also hard to ignore. Just before the exhibition opened, Singapore announced that it will be setting up its own national space agency from April, to grow its space economy and national capabilities.
In past editions, space usually appeared in fragments. A small display here. A shared booth there. This year, it stands on its own. And that small structural change shifts how the Airshow feels.
Why trade shows feel less intimidating now
As someone who doesn't come from this world at all, trade shows can feel intimidating.
So many acronyms. Diagrams. A great degree of seriousness to the room (you know what I mean). So many conversations you know are not meant for you to fully follow.
So much of what is on display this year sits behind the flying. Coordination tools. Digital systems. Platforms designed to connect moving parts that most of us never notice as passengers, or as outsiders.
At one corner, a Bell 505 flight simulator running on virtual-reality visuals let visitors experience piloting without the aircraft ever moving.
Around it, people linger longer than I expected. Kids, parents, even adults on their own. Asking simple, curious questions. Not because they are supposed to understand the systems, but because they genuinely want to.
It felt more hands-on than I remember. And much more driven by curiosity!
And if you have ever thought a trade show isn’t meant for you, this is a good reminder not to. You still come away learning something real.
Not just about aircraft, but about how wide the aviation ecosystem already is, and how much it now depends on software, data and many different teams working together.
Unmanned aircraft galore
Unmanned aircraft feel far more present this year, and not just sitting in one corner of the halls.
You see the quirky-looking Wisk Aero Generation 6 eVTOL "air taxi" on display, an autonomous electric aircraft being developed with Boeing that has already completed its early test flights and is progressing toward future certification.
A few booths away, the idea of “unmanned” stretches even further.
At the stand by ST Engineering, you come across Airfish.
It is a passenger craft designed to travel just above the surface of the sea, faster than a conventional ferry, without needing a runway, and it is intended for short regional routes such as Singapore to Batam from the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approval.
“Unmanned” here is no longer just about aircraft without pilots, but about entirely new ways of moving people.
As a second-timer on the ground, here’s my honest take for anyone wondering if this is worth a visit.
Yes, the aerial displays will always be the main event. But there is plenty happening on the ground too, and it is worth wandering through.
And if you’re coming as a family, it’s a much friendlier day out than it looks. There’s more for kids (and curious adults) to poke around, try and watch than just planes in the sky.
Just be prepared for long queues for the shuttles and security. And please, bring a pair of sunnies.
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