APAC AAM Leadership Summit 🇸🇬
The senior-level summit unites industry leaders, regulators, OEMs, infrastructure developers, and academia.
Singapore has long been at the heart of Asia’s aerospace ecosystem, connecting industry, regulators, and innovators across the region.
In four days, that focus returns with the Singapore Airshow, taking place from February 3–8 at the Changi Exhibition Centre. Trade days run from February 3–6, followed by public days on February 7–8 , featuring aerial displays and industry exhibitions.
Alongside the show, attention is increasingly shifting toward how Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) will take shape in Asia-Pacific.
As part of the lead-up to the airshow, I’m writing a few pieces around AAM in the region.
For Aviation Week, I spoke with TCab Tech about advancing its five-seat E20 eVTOL from transition testing into engineering development, with a focus on certification discipline, battery safety, flight-control redundancy, and operational readiness as the company targets type certification in 2027. The E20 is being positioned as a pragmatic, piloted aircraft for tourism, shuttle, cargo, and special-mission operations, supported by an integrated deployment and financing playbook.
Access the article here (free to view through February 5).
For Aviation International News (AIN), I looked more broadly at how China’s low-altitude economy is moving from policy to practice. The article explores how airspace reform, new airworthiness standards, and regional industrial clusters are accelerating UAS and eVTOL adoption — from rescue and logistics to tourism and airport connectivity — and how companies such as AutoFlight, EHang, TransFuture, WeSky, and Sino Jet are already preparing for real-world operations.
Access the article here (no paywall).
I’ll have more articles for both publications coming out in the coming days, including a couple of business aviation pieces for AIN.
Back to the Singapore Airshow, one of the major highlights is the APAC AAM Leadership Summit, a closed-door, by-invitation forum on February 2, hosted by Emerson Xu, Co-Founder & CEO of NexAvian, at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), Punggol Campus.
Among the sponsors is aviation finance lawyer Ms. Hui Ling Teo, through her companies Beyond Horizons by Bethel Chambers LLC and LEX.LEXHY. Beyond Horizons also runs Aviation Finance, Alternative Asset Finance in APAC & Beyond here on Substack.
The senior-level summit, brings together industry leaders, regulators, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), infrastructure developers, and academia to discuss the practical rollout of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) in Asia-Pacific.
Sessions cover regulatory harmonization, operational deployment, infrastructure, lessons from China’s low-altitude economy, and insights from Singapore’s AAM ecosystem.
Day 1 – Monday, 2 February | SIT Punggol Campus
The summit opens with welcome remarks by Emerson Xu and keynotes from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), KBR (engineering and consulting services), and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), setting the stage for regional AAM development.
Panels feature Sabrina Li (Albatross.ai), Yuan Fang (TCab), Michael Sheng (Vertaxi), and fireside discussions with global leaders from Archer (Tom White), Eve Air Mobility (Joel Goh), Odys Aviation (Oliver Reinhardt), Skyports (Yun Yuan), and Vertical Aerospace (Derek Cheng), moderated by Dan Sloat (AAM)
A highlight is the Advanced Air Mobility Institute (AAMI) Regional APAC Meeting – Part 2, an infrastructure-focused panel featuring Brandon Robinson (Horizon Aircraft), Yen-Chen Chen (Peniel Infrastructure), Mitchell Williams (Skyports), and Clem Newton-Brown (Skyportz), also moderated by Dan Sloat.
Discussions focus on building the regional AAM ecosystem and scaling infrastructure.
Other Day 1 highlights include networking with academia and industry, insights into Singapore’s AAM ecosystem with Prof. Neo (NEO Aeronautics), and MOU signings with Seaplane Asia.
Day 2 – Tuesday, 3 February | Singapore Airshow, Changi Exhibition Centre
Participants explore the Singapore Airshow with guided tours, including the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Gallery, and networking around OEM booths and flight simulations, building on insights from the summit.
Day 3 – Wednesday, 4 February | Singapore Airshow
The focus shifts to report launches and global technology perspectives, including Avion / Asian Sky Group’s AAM Report for Asia 2025, and panels on dual-use technologies, featuring Sabrina Li (Albatross.ai), KBR representative, Oliver Reinhardt (Odys Aviation), and ST Engineering representative, moderated by Dan Sloat.
Day 4 – Thursday, 5 February | Singapore Airshow
The final day emphasizes commercialization and sustainability.
Highlights include an AAM CEO panel with Megha Bhatia (Eve Air Mobility), Yon Wui Ng (TCab), and Michael Cervenka (Vertical Aerospace), moderated by Emerson Xu, as well as the International Forum on Green Aviation (IFGA), featuring Asia Aerospace Innovation Society (AAIS), Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics (CSAA), International Green Aviation Association (IAGA), Malaysian Aviation Industry Association (MAIA), Civil Aviation University Consortium (CAUC), and Volant. The day also includes Economic Development Board (EDB) introductions, MOU signings, and networking sessions.
With Emerson at the helm, the summit promises to drive collaboration, share insights, and advance actionable strategies for AAM across the Asia-Pacific region.
A final word — over the past months, I’ve been fortunate to hear from several companies and executives reaching out to discuss the Singapore Airshow, as well as media support and coverage. Many of these conversations, both on and off the record, have been built over years of interviews, discussions, and time on the ground at major airshows.
For me, good writing starts with a genuine interest in understanding companies, listening to people, and maintaining real professional relationships across the sector.
Thank you for your trust and best wishes for a successful show!
Watch out for my article on the Summit, alongside other airshow coverage!