CHANGI, Singapore – Alabama’s business recruiters aim to build on the success of the state’s flourishing aerospace industry at a major international trade show that kicks off this week.
A team from the Alabama Department of Commerce is participating in the Singapore Airshow at Changi Exhibition Centre. This year marks the 10th edition of the biennial event that is generally considered the world’s third largest airshow behind those in Paris and Farnborough.
It’s also the first year for Alabama to exhibit at the show, although Commerce representatives have attended in the past.
“More than 300 aerospace companies from over 30 countries across the globe have chosen to call Alabama home, and those numbers grow each year,” said Bob Smith, the Commerce Department’s aerospace specialist. “While we have long had a solid presence in Paris and Farnborough, we are always looking at ways to expand our reach in telling the great success stories of the industry in our state.”
Singapore is a comprehensive show exhibiting space, military and aviation, with a strong presence in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations, Smith said. He has appointments within targeted sectors, including drones and UAV craft, and he will continue to add more meetings.
The aerospace industry is a main source of foreign direct investment in Alabama, as well as high-quality jobs that are fueling prosperity in communities around the state.
Recent highlights include 12 aerospace industry announcements last year with a combined $139 million in capital investment and 767 new job commitments, as well as eight defense industry announcements for a total of $122 million in capital investment and nearly 1,700 career opportunities.
Also last year, Airbus celebrated a new A320 final assembly line and marked a decade of production at its sprawling aircraft manufacturing facility in Mobile.
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Blue Origin, GE Aerospace and United Launch Alliance are just a few names on the impressive roster of companies that dot the state, making weapons systems, rockets, helicopters and other cutting-edge products.
Alabama also amassed $8 billion in aerospace exports from 2020 to 2024.
Overall, aerospace jobs and spending, combined with defense contracts, wages and spending, make up about 20 percent of Alabama’s GDP.
“With the growing importance of aerospace and defense in our state, we were keen to have a presence at Singapore Airshow – widely recognized as Asia’s most influential airshow and one of the most influential aerospace and defense exhibitions in the world,” said Beau Lore, Senior International Project Manager for the Commerce Department.
The most recent Singapore Airshow, held in 2024, drew more than 50,000 trade attendees from 135 countries. That list included representatives from the top 20 global aerospace and defense companies. A similar turnout is expected this year.
Three Alabama companies will be co-exhibitors with the Commerce team. They include two Huntsville firms, Cummings Aerospace and FMS Aerospace, and Birmingham-based Phoenix Global Aviation Services.
The companies were selected through an application process, and Commerce is providing them with kiosks located at the Alabama booth, which is being shared with the state of Georgia.
Amanda Parsons, president and chief executive officer for Phoenix Global Aviation Services, said she is thrilled to have a chance to participate in the airshow.
The company provides aftermarket support — including maintenance, modification/upgrade, logistics and training services – for international Black Hawk operators
“Currently all of our customer base is in the Southeast Asia/Australia region, so having the opportunity to engage with our current and prospective customers at the largest and most important show in the region is huge for us,” Parsons said. “Not only does it give us the chance to have a more established presence, but it also allows us to network with other providers in the region and connect both existing and prospective customers with solutions we wouldn’t know about otherwise.”
Parsons said the booth space, along with market research and other networking support from Commerce, has been invaluable in preparing for the airshow.
“We wouldn’t have the opportunity to attend the Singapore Airshow this early in our company’s life without the Alabama Department of Commerce and the program they have put together. The expense of a booth makes it completely cost prohibitive for most small businesses, so we couldn’t have gotten here without them,” she said.
The Commerce team, along with a delegation of community leaders from across the state, regularly participates in the Paris Air Show and Farnborough International Airshow outside London.
State recruiters also network with global industry leaders at other high-profile events, including the Aviation Forum, held late last year in Hamburg, Germany.
And the state industry continues to soar.
Last year’s aerospace project announcements included a new hangar facility in Limestone County that will focus on MRO operations backed by Aleut Real Estate and Strata-G Solution, L3Harris Technologies’ rocket engine manufacturing expansion in Huntsville and expansions for GE Aerospace in Auburn and Huntsville.
The developments were detailed in the 2025 New & Expanding Industry Announcements Report issued by the Commerce Department last month.
The Commerce teams and Alabama companies working the Singapore Airshow this week are poised to add more developments to the list.
Smith said he expects a large U.S. and European presence among exhibitors at the event, along with a strong representation from the Asian market.
“It is crucial for us to make impactful, face-to-face connections with the top decision-makers in the global aerospace industry, and it’s also important that we help aerospace companies in Alabama expand their reach and engage in new business opportunities,” he said.
