Supply chain ‘weaponisation’ tops agenda at Singapore aviation meet

The new UN aviation chief says global cooperation is important to achieve a ‘safer, more sustainable and more competitive’ sector

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Visitors check out the Airbus booth at the Space Summit in Singapore on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 1:05pm, 2 Feb 2026Updated: 5:12pm, 2 Feb 2026

Aviation leaders tackled barriers to growth and the impact of geopolitical tensions on the eve of the Singapore Airshow on Monday, while reaffirming pledges to reduce emissions.

Supply chain problems were hurting global airlines and would remain for some time to come, the head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned industry leaders and regulators.

“This disruption continues to have a major ⁠impact,” IATA Director General Willie Walsh said at the Changi Aviation Summit, ahead of Asia’s largest air show.

Planemakers Airbus and Boeing have faced supply chain problems since the Covid-19 pandemic, while engine makers like GE Aerospace and Pratt and Whitney are having to juggle competing demands from new plane assembly and maintenance.

Aviation is also navigating geopolitical changes, including US import tariffs that have upended flows of air freight.

Boeing 737 Max 8 jets are assembled in Renton, Washington, in October last year. Photo: TNS

“I think the impact of geopolitical change was much more obvious on the air cargo side of the business than on the passenger side,” Walsh said.

Supply chain ‘weaponisation’ tops agenda at Singapore aviation meet

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The new UN aviation chief says global cooperation is important to achieve a ‘safer, more sustainable and more competitive’ sector

The new UN aviation chief says global cooperation is important to achieve a ‘safer, more sustainable and more competitive’ sector