China’s biggest airshow, China’s International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, scheduled for November, has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will be reset for 2022. The biennial event usually draws top aviation names worldwide, including Airbus, Boeing, Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), and others.
The show is the latest casualty of aviation and conferences worldwide that have been outright canceled or postponed because nations around the world have closed their borders, making it difficult or impossible to travel internationally. It follows the cancellation of this year’s largest aerospace expo, Britain’s Farnborough Airshow, because of travel curbs and an industry downturn resulting from the pandemic. Singapore Airshow was one of the few to go ahead, and that was because it was held in February when the COVID-19 pandemic was gathering steam.
Even so, dozens of exhibitors from around the world canceled their appearances in Singapore as a precaution.
China usually makes the most of the event and has traditionally been used by Beijing to show off its growing aviation capabilities, such as military fighters and drones. Its domestic, commercial industry is bouncing back from the pandemic as Chinese carriers offer steep discounts on flights to convince consumers to get back in the air.