With 60% of all long-haul services to Southeast Asia operated by a widebody, Boeing is confident that its protracted 777X program—now targeting type certification in the second half of this year—will help meet a demand that continues to grow in the region.

Singapore operates more flights per square kilometer than any country, said Darren Hulst, v-p of commercial marketing at Boeing. With Asia being the largest contributor to the 5.5% passenger growth seen worldwide last year, this complements a 25-year growth period for the region he described as “dynamic.”

Comac has signed a letter of intent with Shanxi Victory General Aviation for six newly-certified C909 firefighting jets. The deal includes firm orders for three aircraft and indications of intent for another three.

Capable of carrying 10 tonnes of water or fire retardant plus 19 passengers, the modified C909 variant received regulatory approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of China last December. Firefighting missions will benefit from the aircraft’s 2,000-nm range and its ability to operate from high-altitude, high-temperature environments and narrow runways.

Vietjet has confirmed the selection of Pratt & Whitney’s Geared Turbofan (GTF) engines to power 44 A320neo airliners, which it will start adding to its fleet from July 2026. The agreement signed on Wednesday at the Singapore Airshow also covers a 12-year EngineWise comprehensive maintenance plan.

The 24 A321neos and 20 A321XLRs are part of a 100-ship firm order that Vietjet placed with Airbus in October 2025. This brought the total order commitment for the A321 to 280 aircraft and followed a May 2025 deal covering 20 of the larger A330neos.

Tigerair Taiwan has signed a purchase agreement with Airbus for four A321neo narrowbodies. The deal signed on Wednesday at the Singapore Airshow is intended to support the carrier’s network expansion and improve the fuel efficiency of its fleet.

The low-cost carrier operates 17 A320 family twinjets, including nine A320ceos and eight A320neos. In addition to domestic routes, Tigerair operates services to Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Boeing will upgrade the 59 surviving F-15K Eagles operated by the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF). A sole-source, hybrid foreign military sales/direct commercial sale contract worth $2.8 billion has been awarded by South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) as part of a wider ROKAF modernization drive.

Initiated in 2022, the F-15K+ update program received U.S. foreign military sales approval in November 2024. The contract was announced by the U.S. Department of Defense on January 30, and the program is expected to run for 11 years.

The digital flip-through issue of AIN’s award-winning Singapore Airshow News is now available online. It’s a great way to quickly scan the news from Singapore Airshow 2026, whether you’re attending the show or watching from afar.