Page 16 - AAA NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2012 Online Magazine

FEATURE CHINA AVIATION

Other makers are
eyeing the potentially
lucrative general
aviation market in the
newly derestricted
Chinese airspace

the state air traffic control commission. airports in western china, and grant marketing the aircraft, camp says they are
speaking at the 2012 china low-altitude foreign carriers unprecedented unlimited following the Airbus/Boeing precedent and
economy summit, he noted that opening access to the area’s provinces and are looking at manufacturing in china to
up low-altitude airspace nationwide is regions. “china’s general aviation sector gain access to the market.
expected to stimulate the growth of the has gone through major growth in the “At this stage we are keeping an open
fledgling general aviation industry – past 10 years, though it was coming off mind. if we achieve more significant
which should in turn fuel the country’s a low base,” says damian camp, ceo of sales than we expect, then we may
broader economic growth. new Zealand-based pacific Aerospace consider a similar approach,” he says.
the reforms will relax a ban on the (pAl). in mid-2012, camp’s company “cAiB has committed to a minimum of
use of low-altitude airspace across the signed a deal with Xi’an Yanliang national five aircraft a year for the next three
country, and follow a decision by the Aviation Hi-tech industrial Base (cAiB) years, but the opportunities are many
state council and the central Military that will see cAiB become partner and times that,” he adds.
commission in 2010 to open up part of china agent responsible for marketing other makers are eyeing the
the country’s low-altitude airspace for the the company’s p-750 Xstol aircraft. potentially lucrative general aviation
first time. According to Zhu, the reforms As part of the agreement with market in the newly derestricted chinese
will be implemented over the next five to pAl, cAiB has ordered five p-750 airspace. Aircraft for flight training
10 years, starting in 2013. Xstols, a 10-seater, short take-off and schools, commercial and general
landing single-engine aircraft that is aviation, freight transport, agricultural
General expansion reportedly used around the world for
“in particular, [the new rules] will freight, passenger, aerial survey and
simplify application procedures for the surveillance, medevac, agriculture and
use of low-altitude airspace by general skydiving operations. the p-750’s newly
aviation flights, including private jets,” released long-range wing gives the
asserts Zhu shicai. related projects craft a 2,183-kilometre range, making
have been launched in the northeastern it perfectly suited to china, says jin
and central-southern regions of china, Qiansheng, chairman of cAiB.
and in seven initial cities – tangshan, “the p-750 Xstol satisfied all of our Damian Camp, CEO of Pacific
Aerospace, with the company’s
Xi’an, Qingdao, Hangzhou, ningbo, requirements,” notes jin. “With its safety P-750 XSTOL aircraft, which will be
Kunming and chongqing – airspace record, exceptional performance and marketed by Chinese partner Xi’an
below 1,000 metres is now open to multifunctional roles, the p-750 Xstol is Yanliang National Aviation Hi-tech
general aviation flights. ideal for the burgeoning general aviation Industrial Base. This deal is Pacific
new rules also allow for the use of market in china.” Although at present Aerospace’s first foray into the
private capital in the construction of the partnership with cAiB is limited to Chinese market
16 ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2012 WWW.ASIANAIRLINES-AIRPORTS.COM