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ABACE Show Underscores Bizav Growth in China

Business aviation exhibition kicks off in Shanghai.

The Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE) opened today in Shanghai amid a backdrop of increasing U.S.-China cooperation in business aviation and continued signs of growth in the long-gestating Chinese bizav market.

Fractional ownership giant NetJets affirmed its plans to start operations in China next year. NetJets China will launch in the first quarter of 2014, starting out by managing and chartering aircraft for Chinese owners. Fractional shares and jet card products will follow, depending on demand.

Beijing-based Deer Jet launched a competing fractional ownership program in China, announcing on the eve of ABACE that it will sell shares in a Gulfstream G450 and G550 as part of its new “Time Share” offering. Deer Jet operates 30 business jets for clients in China.

U.S. manufacturers, meanwhile, continued to build stronger ties with Chinese aviation firms. Cessna has made one of the biggest commitments in China, launching a joint venture with CAIGA that will involve building Cessna 208 Grand Caravan EXs in Shijiazhuang and Cessna Citation XLS+s in Zhuhai for the Chinese market.

Beechcraft announced an order for a King Air C90GTx from Qingdao Jiutian International Flight Academy (JTFA), one of two CCAR 141 certified flight schools in China. Nextant, maker of an upgraded version of the Beechcraft 400A/XP bizjet, launched a medical interior for its 400XT at ABACE.

The show runs from April 16-18.

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