LIMA 2023 officially launched

The 16th edition of LIMA, the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition will take place 23-27 May 2023 on the Langkawi island, locatedsome 30 km off the coast of north-western Malaysia.

On January 16th the exhibition was officially launched during an event at the Malaysia International
Trade & Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur.

Among the authorities present at the event we could find the Malaysian Minister of Transport, the Malaysian Minister of Defence, YB Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan, the Chief Minister of Kedah, the province of which Langkawi is part, YAB Dato’ Seri Haji Muhammad Sanusi bin Md Nor, and many other dignitaries.

In his opening speech the Minister of Transport underlined that LIMA “is one of the largest maritime and aerospace exhibitions in the Asia-Pacific,” and that “ its expansion into the commercial sphere has had a positive impact. The participation of a wider range of exhibitors and trade visitors has boosted the attractiveness and value of the event.

“This year, we are expecting 600 exhibitors at LIMA 2023, of which 240 exhibitors or 40 percent will be from the commercial sector. This is an increase from the approximately 160 commercial exhibitors who were part of LIMA 2019.”

Underlining the importance of the shipbuilding and aerospace industries for Malaysia, he added “this year we are expecting attendance of over 45,000 trade visitors to LIMA 2023.”

The drone and aerospace technology sectors will receive great emphasis at the exhibition, as well as innovations in the shipbuilding domain.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, LIMA 2023 as The Nexus of Maritime and Aerospace Trade combines the best of the aerospace and maritime industries,” the Minister concluded.

In June last year the Government of Malaysia officially appointed Alpine Integrated Solution Sdn Bhd as the Organiser for LIMA 2023. The company Chairman, Tan Sri Mohd Khairul Adib Abd Rahman took the floor and after thanking all those who allowed to make this event possible he underlined that “this year’s LIMA is set to be the largest one yet. Among the organisations exhibiting (I apologise that I may not be able to name all) at LIMA this year from the local front include BHIC, Deftech, Gading Group, Global Turbine Asia, NADI, Radimax, Sapura, System Consultancy Services and Zetro whilst some of the international players include Airbus (UK), MBDA (France), Kongsberg (Norway), Naval Group (France), Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Team Defence Australia , Aselsan, Roketsan and Havelsan (Turkiye). We thank all who have signed up and have made plans to be in Langkawi and we look forward to signing up the remaining exhibitors and sponsors soon.”

Continuing his speech he added, “LIMA 2023 will also for the first time ever feature prominently cybersecurity, drones and space technology components besides having dedicated exhibition zones, there will also be forums and technical talks and presentations as well as demonstrations. This will ensure that LIMA keeps abreast of trends and developments in the industry, and therefore is the place to be at to gain the latest in industry knowledge and technology.”

Forecasting the attendance, he said, “in the course of five days, we are expecting 45,000 trade visitors, more than 250,000 public visitors and international visitors from 41 countries. In other words, LIMA 2023 is the litmus test for Malaysia to show that we and our infrastructure are ready to welcome the world and show them the best that Langkawi and Malaysia have to offer.”