Major foreign players in the aviation industry sent positive signals for deeper cooperation with their Chinese counterparts at the Hunan International General Aviation Industry Expo in Hunan province. The three-day event that ended on July 18 attracted key enterprises from home and abroad, including Aviation Industry Corporation of China, Aero Engine Corporation of China, Textron Aviation, Bell Helicopter and Pratt & Whitney. More than 300 domestic and foreign experts, scholars and business leaders, as well as diplomatic envoys and business association representatives from 17 countries, attended the Expo. General aviation has become a key focus that is expected to inject new vitality in the aviation industry, which has been hounded by the Covid-19 pandemic over the past two years.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said that during the 13th Five Year Plan period (2016-20), the number of companies in China’s general aviation industry rose to 523. Together, they owned a fleet of 2,892 aircraft. Over the past five years, China’s general aviation industry recorded 4.57 million flying hours, with an average annual increase of 13.7%, 2.7 percentage points higher than the increase in transport aviation. At the Expo, guests and business representatives from Mexico, Slovakia and the U.S. agreed that China’s general aviation has bright opportunities for development.
Carlos Giralt-Cabrales, Consul General of Mexico in Guangzhou, expects the reform of low altitude aviation to offer flourishing prospects for the general aviation industry. Bell Helicopter from the U.S. brought to the fair the latest model of the Bell 407 series, and delivered a brand-new Bell 407GXi helicopter to Chinese customers at the exhibition site. Mark Loh, General Manager of Bell Helicopter’s China service center, said the company was very optimistic about the Chinese market. At present, helicopters in China are mainly used in the fields of medical rescue and public safety. China’s development in related fields is constantly progressing, with strong market demand and broad development prospects. “With vaccination campaigns conducted worldwide, we believe the market is getting back on track. We are very confident about our future in China,” Loh said, adding that Bell will continue to increase its investment in areas like training and support services in China. “Textron Aviation has long been optimistic about the development of China’s general aviation industry,” said Michael Shih, Vice President of Sales and Strategy at Textron Aviation China. He added that emerging businesses like short-haul transport, entertainment and emergency rescue are growing rapidly. Brendon Hill, BSI’s Director of Aerospace, said he was amazed by the rapid development of domestic enterprises.
Hunan is the first province to pilot the reform of low-altitude airspace and it plans to build dozens of new airports within the year. Ivan Didanovic, Representative of the VRM company from Slovakia, said that means more pilots, crew members and other personnel will be badly needed. “We can provide them with our services to train personnel using simulated aircraft,” he said. People will need more general aviation services after Covid-19, he added. “Though China's general aviation industry is not as mature as those in developed countries, China is planning to expand it, and that means a huge market as well as business opportunities.” Slovak Ambassador to China Duchamp Berra made a pitch for Slovak enterprises in the aviation industry at the opening ceremony. He expressed the hope that an increasing number of Slovak and Chinese companies would begin cooperation projects in the aviation field, the China Daily reports.
