BAAFEx Show Targets Asia-Pacific Business Aviation Growth

The second edition of the Business Aviation Asia Forum & Expo (BAAFEx) will be held in Singapore next year from March 22 to 24. Organizer Experia Events officially launched the show on Wednesday at the Aero Friedrichshafen show in Germany, saying they are targeting 50% growth in exhibitor and attendee numbers compared with the inaugural show held in March 2025.

More than 2,000 visitors from 56 countries attended the 2025 show at Singapore’s Changi Exhibition Centre, including two business aircraft manufacturers, Dassault and Boeing. Experia Events managing director Leck Chet Lam told AIN that there is scope to boost participation from Southeast Asia, as well as from key regional markets including China, Japan, and India.

One of Experia’s objectives is to expand the scope of the business aviation ecosystem represented at BAAFEx to include more OEMs, as well as FBOs; maintenance, repair, and overhaul specialists; and other service providers. The 2025 exhibitor roster included aircraft operators such as Vista Jet, TAG Aviation, Amber Jet, Deer Jet, and Sino Jet (with the last three all based in China).

Leck said talks are in progress with several other leading business jet manufacturers who may commit to exhibiting. He pointed out that the Changi site includes a large static display area immediately next to the 40,000-sq-ft exhibition hall, making it easier to give tours of aircraft for prospective customers. Experia is also looking to attract helicopter manufacturers and developers of new eVTOL aircraft.

The BAAFEx conference program will also be expanded to include more specific topics of relevance to the industry. For instance, there will be separate sessions on sustainability and new technology.

With companies in the business aviation sector increasingly seeking direct contact with end-user customers, Experia is stepping up efforts to boost participation by high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs). According to the Wealth Report produced by real estate group Knight Frank in 2025, the Asia-Pacific region is set to be the world’s second-largest concentration of ultra-HNWIs by 2028, with a faster rate of growth (38.3%) than both North America (28.1%) and Europe (22.3%).

Nonetheless, the Asia-Pacific nations—along with other regions—are already feeling the negative impact of the Iran war, and Leck acknowledged that this could dent their economies. “We cannot run away from this, but we are looking at this with a longer-term perspective,” he commented. As with the bounceback from the Covid pandemic, Experia believes its exhibitors are not taking their eyes off projected post-war growth and the view that it takes years to build relationships and order books in this sector.

In 2025, visitors from Southeast Asian countries accounted for almost 40% of the total BAAFEx footfall. There was also a tangible presence among wealthy Chinese customers. Experia sees potential to grow that element too, while tapping rapidly rising demand for private aviation in India, where almost 20 aircraft were added to the locally based fleet last year.