The Singapore Airshow will feature China's domestic jetliner, along with other exhibits.

• The Comac C919, often compared to Boeing's 737 and Airbus's 320, is generating excitement at the Singapore Airshow as a highly anticipated feature.
• This year, the Singapore Airshow will have the most foreign flying teams participating, as stated by organizer Experia.
• This year, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines predicts that half of global air travel growth will occur in the Asia-Pacific region.

For the first time at the Singapore Airshow, China will display its narrow-body passenger jet to a global audience.

The Comac C919, a rival to Boeing's 737 and Airbus's 320, is gaining popularity at this year's event.

In September 2022, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) developed the commercial aircraft and received certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The C919, a narrow-body airliner developed by Chinese aircraft manufacturer Comac, will make its debut at the Singapore Airshow for the first time, according to Experia Events, the organizer and manager of the event.

The air show, scheduled for Feb. 20 to 25, is expected to attract thousands of attendees, including military officials and aviation enthusiasts, and will be open to the public.

This year's event is being attended by aerospace and aviation industry leaders such as , , Comac, and defense contractors including , , , and .

Comac's C919 is set to make its international debut at the Singapore Airshow, which presents a great opportunity for the company, particularly given the current situation with Boeing, according to Brendan Sobie of Sobie Aviation.

This year's air show could signify Asia's recovery, according to Sobie.

Aerial acrobatics and more

The Singapore Airshow will have the most foreign flying teams this year, as stated by organizer Experia. Since its inception in 2008, the exhibition has become one of Asia's largest aerospace events.

The Sarang aerial display team of the Indian Air Force, which flies modified helicopters, will perform aerial acrobatics. The Royal Australian Air Force’s Roulettes, the Indonesian Air Force’s Jupiter, and the Republic of Korea Air Force’s Black Eagles are also participating. The United States Air Force’s B-52 Stratofortress will make a flypast on Feb. 22, as per the organizer.

At the air show, Airbus will exhibit its large widebody A350-1000 model, along with static displays of helicopters, military aircraft, and its wide-body commercial jet, the A330neo.

The air show will not feature any passenger jets from its key rival.

This year, there will likely be fewer announcements of large commercial plane orders by airlines, as the emphasis will shift towards defense aviation and private jets, according to analysts.

The Dubai Airshow has grown significantly and become a major player in order announcements, leaving Singapore struggling to keep up and achieve its goal of becoming the third biggest global show after Paris and Farnborough, as Sobie explained to CNBC.

Private jet makers such as Cessna, Gulfstream, and Jet Aviation will also be present at the event.

Advanced air mobility is an emerging mode of air transportation that includes air taxi services, cargo delivery, medical and emergency response transportation, and private vehicles.

Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, commonly known as air taxis, are compact planes designed for brief journeys.

Some flying taxi companies, including Supernal owned by Hyundai, Wisk owned by Boeing, and Beta Technologies, will showcase their vehicles.

Improving air traffic

The International Air Transport Association forecasts that the airline industry's net profits could increase to $25.7 billion in 2024, a slight improvement from the previous year's $23.3 billion.

Last year, Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA's senior vice president for sustainability and chief economist, stated that international demand was at 88.3% of pre-Covid levels, mainly because of the slower recovery of the Asia-Pacific region, on CNBC.

She stated that they anticipate a complete recovery by 2024.

In the long run, the outlook remains optimistic, particularly in the Asia Pacific region, which is predicted to contribute roughly half of the global passenger traffic in 2024, according to Owens.

According to Subhas Menon, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, in an email to CNBC, Asia-Pacific travel recovery is often viewed as lagging behind other regions due to the fact that traffic has not yet fully returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Menon stated that the unabating demand, full flights, congested airports, and the industry's return to profitability indicate a different story.

In 2023, the seven busiest international routes globally will be located in Asia, and it was noted that half of the worldwide air travel growth this year will occur in this region.

— CNBC’s Isabella Lok contributed to this story