After growing government support for the sector in recent years, both domestic and foreign companies are looking for business opportunities in China's general aviation.

The growing potential will be a hot issue at the 9th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition that will open in Zhuhai, Guangdong province on Tuesday. The event is expected to host more than 30 exhibitors in the general aviation industry, a wide-ranging field that includes gliders and powered parachutes as well as private and business aircraft.

Some 502,700 hours of flight were recorded in China's general aviation in 2011, a number expected to rise to 2 million hours by 2020, said an announcement by the central government released in July.