Francisco Gomes Neto, President & CEO of Embraer,

 

Carlos Naufel, Vice President of Services & Support of Embraer,

 

Raul Villaron, APAC Head of Embraer,

 

Michel Azar-Hmouda, President of Commercial Aviation of CAE,

 

Distinguished Guests,

 

Ladies and Gentlemen.

 

Introduction

 

1. Good morning! I am very pleased to join you for the inauguration of Embraer’s new state-of-the-art E2 Simulator, ahead of the Singapore Airshow 2024. My thanks to Francisco and your team for your kind invitation.

 

2. The Embraer E2 full-flight simulator is the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, and it will support Scoot’s upcoming induction of nine Embraer E190-E2 aircrafts into its fleet. I understand that Scoot’s pilots have already begun their training in anticipation of the Embraer aircrafts’ entry into service later this year.

 

Singapore’s Aerospace Industry and our Aspirations for the industry

 

3. Today’s inauguration comes amid a strong post-pandemic recovery in the aerospace sector. Since the second quarter of 2022, aerospace monthly production levels have generally exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Last year, aerospace output grew by 16% year-on-year, and we expect 2024 to be equally robust. Singapore’s aviation industry is also well-poised for growth, with passenger traffic at Changi Airport expected to reach pre-pandemic levels this year.

 

4. In view of the global recovery in air travel, we expect strong demand for Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services to continue. Singapore has partnered leading aerospace companies to develop new manufacturing and MRO technologies here. We appreciate Embraer’s MRO presence in the region[1] in partnership with SIA Engineering Company and look forward to working with Embraer to grow your Singapore footprint.

 

5. Under Singapore’s refreshed Aerospace Industry Transformation Map (ITM), we are accelerating our innovation efforts and pursuing areas of growth, in addition to building our existing strengths in manufacturing and MRO. These include emerging areas such as Sustainability, Electrification, and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). For example, Electronic vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft could be a new engine of growth for mobility. We are studying the development of suitable infrastructure and policies to encourage eVTOL companies to undertake R&D, manufacturing and MRO in this nascent but rapidly growing field.

 

6. To support these and future efforts, we need to continue building a robust talent pipeline and workforce. Singapore’s aerospace sector is expected to see 2,500 new hires over the next 3 years. We are committed to equipping our talent with future-ready skills so that companies can seize opportunities for growth. Today, we have a suite of initiatives with agencies such as SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), Workforce Singapore (WSG) and our institutes of higher learning to train workers in partnership with sponsoring organisations. With Embraer’s regional hub in Singapore covering the Asia-Pacific, and the inauguration of the E2 simulator which will drive growth in Embraer’s Services & Support platform, we hope to explore further opportunities for collaboration with Embraer on talent development efforts, such as in digital innovation to enhance worker productivity.

 

Singapore’s Economic Relations with Brazil

 

7. Today’s inauguration is particularly timely because we are seeing positive growth in the larger economic relationship between Singapore and Brazil. Brazil is currently Singapore’s largest trading partner in Latin America, and in just the past year alone, my team at the Ministry of Trade and Industry has made several visits to Brazil to advance our trade and investment ties as well as build our trade architecture. In fact, just two months ago, I was in Rio de Janeiro where we signed a landmark Free Trade Agreement with MERCOSUR.

 

8. Once ratified and in force, this Free Trade Agreement between MERCOSUR and Singapore will support our companies in accessing new market opportunities, provide assurance to our respective investors, and facilitate greater cooperation in areas such as entrepreneurship, innovation and digital solutions. As the first FTA between Brazil and Singapore, I hope that it will establish an enabling environment that will encourage even more Brazilian companies to engage with Singapore, and vice versa.

 

9. Obrigado and my congratulations again to our friends at Embraer. I wish all of you a very enjoyable day ahead. Thank you.