Chinese air force will perform at Singapore Airshow despite travel restrictions

Event organisers said the August 1st aerobatics team had taken ‘proactive measures’ such as regular health checks before flying into Singapore

Analyst David Boey said China was not ‘hermetically sealed’ off from Singapore but suggested public communications could help ease concerns

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Chengdu J-10 fighter jets from the Chinese August 1st aerobatic team perform during the Dubai Airshow in 2017. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:00pm, 6 Feb 2020Updated: 3:04pm, 25 Feb 2020

Singapore has given the green light to a performance by China’s air force at an international aerospace event next week, despite its restrictions on travellers from the country in the wake of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s August 1st aerobatics team will, for the first time, fly in the Singapore Airshow – a gathering once every two years of thousands of aviation and defence experts slated to begin on Tuesday, albeit on a smaller scale than previously planned because of exhibitors pulling out as the spread of the virus has forced airline suspensions and upended global travel.

On Wednesday, China’s defence ministry said in a post on Chinese messaging app WeChat that it would be sending nine aircraft and more than 100 personnel to Singapore.

Defense News, a magazine and website that covers global defence developments, reported that the Chinese aerobatics team arrived at Singapore’s Changi East Airbase on Tuesday afternoon, with witnesses spotting seven Chengdu J-10 fighter jets and a pair of Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft.

Visitors look at a transport aircraft during the 2016 edition of the Singapore Airshow. Photo: EPA

The Il-76s are assigned to the PLA’s 13th Transport Division in Hubei province, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, the report added.

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