China’s commercial aviation market grew last year by 12.6% to 566 billion revenue passenger kilometers, making China the second-largest commercial aviation market in the world. And it is set to average 7.6% growth over the next 20 years.
Guiyang-based China Express, one of the country’s few privately-owned domestic regional carriers, has placed an order for 16 additional Bombardier CRJ900s, making it the largest Bombardier operator in China.
Boeing has steadfastly resisted the idea that it should assemble aircraft in China, arguing there are other ways to invest significantly in the country.
A fast-developing market for its products and a growing raft of joint ventures will lead to rapid growth in China for the aerospace businesses of United Technologies Corp. (UTC), the company believes.
Piaggio Aerospace is betting that China’s business and general aviation market has matured enough that buyers are now wanting to own an aircraft that is different to others on the market.
Safran is highlighting at the Zhuhai Airshow that this year marks the 40th anniversary since the French aerospace group started working with state-owned AVIC.
Airbus Helicopters, which has strong links with China’s state-owned aerospace conglomerate Avic, appears to be one of the main beneficiaries of the opening up of China’s low-altitude airspace to general aviation.
Austria-based FACC is delivering its first composite parts for Comac's C919 airliner. This is another important step in expanding FACCs market presence in China as the company is majority owned by Avic’s Xi'an Aircraft Industries Group (XAC) since 2009.
“It’s been a tremendous year in China” for Honeywell Aerospace, says Briand Greer, its president for Asia Pacific. “We have made some tremendous advances.”
U.S.-based general aviation aircraft manufacturer Mooney International is unveiling at the Zhuhai Airshow today two new models of aircraft, the M10J and M10T, which it plans to manufacture in China and the U.S.
Six years after its reorganization into specialist subsidiaries, Avic is handling a wide range of civil aircraft programs, with a remarkable number of mostly secretive engine developments also coming into view. It still has challenges, however, beginning with its sheer size: it has 400,000 employees, many working in fields unrelated to building aircraft.
The 10th Zhuhai air show sees China emerging as a one-stop military aerospace provider, from surveillance satellites to 50-kg small-diameter precision-guided munitions.
In 2010, the hope was that by 2015 private aircraft would be widely usable in China. As of 2014, little progress has been made for propeller-driven aircraft, although helicopter operations are making progress.
Two major sections of the first C919 fuselage have been connected, and the nose is in position to join them. “Final assembly is proceeding steadily,” says Comac, adding that it is trying to complete joining the structure by year-end, after which it will integrate the on-board systems. The roll-out is due in the third quarter of 2015.
