Page 17 - AAA MARCH - APRIL 2013 Online Magazine

FEATURE CHINA BUSINESS JETS

time for the local operators to reach full there is plenty of demand for aircraft and adds yet more time and expense to the
efficiency in, rather than to try to navigate what they can offer, there is a major speed process. Alternatively, Chinese owners
route and operator certification hurdles. bump for would-be users. Right now this of CAAC-registered aircraft can opt
As such, the MRO and training will delay even the most well-documented for subsidiaries of Chinese airlines to
sectors are looking good. According to a import by as much as nine months. manage their aircraft, but to date no
commercial aircraft marketing executive foreign management company has been
at GE Aviation, the number of business High hurdles granted an AOC.
jets in China could reach 500 to 1,000 Bearing in mind that private jet ownership
units halfway through the next decade. was illegal in China as recently as 2003, it Keeping momentum
And as the number of aircraft operating is no surprise that there is a backlog and “China was flush with cash ... It was a
in China grows, MRO services will be in delays in implementing registration and conveniently timed mini-rescue, a nice
high demand. certification needed before anybody can shot in the arm at a critical moment,” said
Honeywell Aerospace too sees plenty fly any aircraft. market analyst Brian Foley, of Brian Foley
of optimism despite some hurdles. It is Everybody who runs an aircraft needs Associates. However, he warned that even
building a technical operations centre to obtain an Air Operator’s Certificate though the China region provided a “steady
at Shanghai, offering technical support, (AOC) from the country’s aviation regulator. sales stream of large and expensive
troubleshooting and documentation Some reports indicate a mere 20 business jets at the height of the world economic
questions. The company says it is jet operator certificates will be granted in downturn” the sales teams should be wary
committed to supporting the development China by the end of 2015, taking the total of over-forecasting. The good figures will
of China’s aviation industry with four to a mere 30 – for a 1.3 billion population. only continue if the government comes
industry leading JVs and one wholly-owned Getting an AOC from the CAAC (Civil through on its promises to liberalise
facility, delivering repair and overhaul Aviation Administration of China) is a airspace, issue more AOCs and help with
services on APU, SCAS, avionics, wheels long, expensive and onerous process, more MRO and FBO incentives.
and brakes for the China domestic and and is required even for private business Even if that means single-digit growth
international aviation market, as well as jets. Taking up to two years, it covers (excellent in comparison to other regions
manufacturing engine and environmental specific criteria in the areas of experience, globally) there is still plenty of room for
control system components. organisation, staffing and training – plus the industry to grow.
In addition, Honeywell is working aircraft equipment maintenance expertise.
closely with aviation regulators in China, Furthermore, this process demands For copies of the Asian Sky Group report,
said Briand Greer, President of Honeywell sign off by nine separate departments, email sales@asianskygroup.com.
Aerospace Asia Pacific. “Although current and only then can the owner or operator
fleets are relatively small … China will apply for an import licence.
generate significant new aircraft demand In some cases, companies and private
if realised,” he noted. As long as the flyers opt instead to use an external AOL
operators can work out who is certified to holder who has already been approved –
fly the aircraft, who can legally maintain but this is not cheap either. For example
it, where it will be hangared and how it Swiss-based Vistajet signed up with Air
will be financed. China’s business jet subsidiary, Beijing ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT:
Brian Foley of Brian Foley
Current reports indicate that Airlines, to get approval. Associates, François Chazelle
challenges abound in all these areas. Some operators go for the of Airbus China, and Briand
China’s aviation authority has a backlog of internationally recognised ISO 9001 Greer, President, Honeywell
80 jets waiting for paperwork. So though quality management certification, which Aerospace Asia Pacific
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