A major international aviation conference scheduled on the eve of next week's Singapore Airshow has been cancelled, organisers said Tuesday, hit by the global health scare over China's deadly coronavirus.

Organisers, however, said the main event, Asia's biggest airshow, will proceed as scheduled from February 11-16 despite the pullout of several exhibitors, many of them from China.

US aircraft maker Boeing and European rival Airbus are the biggest players at the airshow, which was due to be preceded by the leadership conference featuring top airline, airport and other industry executives.

Among those who had been scheduled to speak at the conference were the senior executives of the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

"The Singapore Airshow Aviation Leadership Summit 2020, a component of the Airshow programme... will not take place this year," a statement by organiser Experia Events said.

"This will allow many of the aviation leaders who are deeply involved in working out the responses to the novel coronavirus outbreak to focus on exigencies related to the ongoing situation."

The aviation industry is one of the most affected by the virus outbreak after governments worldwide imposed restrictions on travel, including bans for those arriving from China.

The death toll in China stood at 425 Tuesday, exceeding the number of fatalities in the country from the SARS outbreak of 2002-03.

The World Health Organization has declared the crisis a global health emergency.

IATA said Asia-Pacific Airlines lost around $6.0 billion in revenues during SARS and are likely to be hit hard by the latest crisis.

The biennial Singapore Airshow attracted 54,000 trade visitors worldwide in 2018.

Experia Events said 10 exhibitors from mainland China, including airplane-maker Commercial Aviation Corporation of China (COMAC), have pulled out of the airshow.

Six other companies from Canada and the United States, Britain and Germany have also withdrawn.

The side conference would have involved 300 aviation industry leaders including government officials, civil aviation regulators, airport operators and airline executives.

Related Links
Epidemics on Earth - Bird Flu, HIV/AIDS, Ebola

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

China hunts for travellers from virus epicentre
Beijing (AFP) Feb 3, 2020
Communities in China are offering cash rewards, knocking on doors and questioning people trying to enter their neighbourhoods - but they're not looking for criminals. They're searching for anyone coming from Wuhan, the central city at the epicentre of a deadly virus epidemic that has sparked fear - even panic - in China and beyond. The end of the extended Lunar New Year holiday this weekend has raised concerns that the new coronavirus could spread further as people travel across the country. ... read more