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China plane-makers take first steps to rival giants

A Chinese J-10 is displayed at the 7th International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, China, yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

China’s fledging aerospace industry took a major leap forward yesterday at the nation’s only international air show as it announced its first sale of commercial aircraft to a US company.

The Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (CACC, 中國商用飛機公司) confirmed the sale of five homemade jets to the aircraft leasing arm of General Electric with an option for the firm to buy 20 more, the two companies said in a statement.

The contract, signed on the sidelines of Airshow China in Zhuhai, makes GE Commercial Aviation Services the first overseas leasing firm to buy a Chinese-made commercial plane, they said.

Delivery of the ARJ21s (Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st Century) will start in 2013, the statement said, which was unable to confirm reports that the contract would be worth US$735 million.

“The ARJ21 will help fulfill the growing need within China for fast, efficient regional air travel,” said Norman Liu, executive vice president of GE Commercial Aviation Services, in the statement.

The ARJ21, which carries between 70 and 90 passengers, and other jets to be produced by CACC, are widely seen as part of a Chinese plan to eventually rival the dominance of Airbus and Boeing.

“To fly Chinese large aircraft in the blue sky is not just the will of the government, but the whole nation,” CACC chief Jin Zhuanglong (金壯龍) told an aviation conference in Zhuhai on Monday.

Moreover, the Aviation Industry Corp of China, a key backer of CACC, plans to acquire a foreign aircraft manufacturer, the state-run China Daily said yesterday, citing Tan Weidong (譚衛東), president of one of the firm’s subsidiaries.

Despite the lofty ambitions, China’s government and CACC have been keen to stress that the target of producing bigger planes to rival the global giants is a long-term goal that will take until at least 2020.

US-based Boeing and Airbus of Europe headed around 600 civil and military manufacturers, suppliers and designers who gathered in Zhuhai for the biennial Airshow China, which lasts until Sunday.

Airbus said yesterday it had secured an order for 20 of its A320 aircraft from the aviation leasing arm of the Bank of China (中國銀行).

Major manufacturers remain bullish about the long-term demand for new aircraft in China despite the global financial meltdown.

Airbus chief operating officer John Leahy said the downturn in the aviation industry “might not be as bad as people are forecasting.”

“We are not seeing a lot of order cancellations ... And even if the traffic is down, aircraft sales may still be up,” he said, adding that airlines will still need to replace old planes to save cash from fuel prices.

However, there are early signs China has not escaped the drop-off that has hit the global industry, with both analysts and airlines warning of a “cold winter” of slowing passenger demand following several years of double-digit growth.
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