Vacant booths and general gloom at virus-hit Singapore Airshow

Visitors walking in front of a display of the United States Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III on the tarmac during the Singapore Airshow in Singapore on Tuesday (Feb 11). Scores of companies steered clear of Asia’s biggest aerospace and defence gathering due to the coronavirus outbreak. - AFP

SINGAPORE: The first day of the Singapore Airshow usually features teeming crowds, flashy presentations and big orders for aircraft makers.

The coronavirus outbreak has shot that to pieces this year as scores of companies steered clear of Asia’s biggest aerospace and defence gathering. People who did attend limited their interaction to bows or uneasy elbow bumps.