Center

Demand for aircraft to soar

By Lu Haoting (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-10-17 08:49

China will need 590 regional aircraft worth US$18 billion over the next two decades, Embraer said yesterday.

The Brazilian aircraft maker, which currently holds about one-third of China's regional aircraft market, is poised to play a more active role and "grab a much larger share" in the country in the coming years, said Guan Dongyuan, managing director of Embraer China.

Guan made the remarks on the sidelines of a six-city tour of the company's latest model, the Embraer 190.

The 100-seat regional jet arrived in Beijing yesterday and will visit five other Chinese cities  Urumqi, Chengdu, Kunming, Shanghai and Haikou. It will finally fly to Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, and be exhibited during the Sixth China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition beginning on October 30.

Embraer signed its largest single order in China at the end of August to sell 100 regional jets to Hainan Airlines. Part of the US$2.7-billion deal is to supply 50 Embraer 190 jets by the end of 2012.

The development of regional air traffic networks has been regarded as an important measure to boost economic growth in China's western regions, which lack developed ground transportation facilities. It would also help balance the growth of China's commercial aviation industry, Guan said.

Chinese airlines have been focusing on purchasing trunk-line aircraft. China has a fleet of nearly 900 aircraft, among which there are only 70 regional aircraft.

China's air transport capacity is skewed towards a small number of hub airports. Of the total 142 airports in China, the 20 largest airports transport 80 per cent of the nation's total passenger volumes. About 50 airports have daily passenger volumes of fewer than 200 people.