China GA Report EN

FIXED-WING MARKET
Despite the popularity of large aircraft, the long-range Gulfstream
G550 has a leading share of 14%, with 46 aircraft. 40 G450s
— large aircraft— take up 12% of the market. The long-range
Dassault Falcon 7X ranks third with 27 aircraft (8%). Of all the
G550s in the country, 23 (50%) are run by operators in Beijing;
while Guangdong and Shanghai each has eight. Combined, these
three cities hold 85% of the country’s G550 fleet.
In general, the acquisition cost of a business jet is higher than
other fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. Jets, however, have a
shorter life span, which contributes to jets having the youngest
fleet among all GA aircraft types. A newly-delivered aircraft
generally has an in-service period of 10 years, with owners often
considering selling the existing model for a newer model. With
benefits from economic reform and loosening of restrictions,
the China business jet market has been open for around 20
years, which further explains the country’s young fleet. In China,
approximately 65% of the jets were manufactured during or
after 2010. The 2013 manufacturing year produced the greatest
number, with 49.
place, with 56 aircraft (17%). Shanghai, an emerging international
financial center in China, placed third with the operation of 43
aircraft (13%).
Mainland-based Deer Jet is currently the top operator in China,
operating 50 aircraft. G450 and G550 still make up most of the
company’s fleet, with respectively 12 and 18. Other models, such
as the Falcon 7X, G650 and BBJ, constitute a small portion of
the fleet.
Shenzhen-headquartered Business Aviation Asia (BAA) set up
branches in major cities, including Hong Kong and Shanghai with
a 46-aircraft fleet. Models such as the Legacy 650, Global 6000
50
40
Business Jet by Age
With cost and age limitations, business jets are typically utilized in
charter business, or non-commercial uses by companies in China.
The distribution of jets, therefore, concentrates in first-tier cities,
including Beijing, which is a business-jet hub. Along with being the
top location for the G550, the province operates 111 jets, which
represents 34% of the country’s fleet. Beijing builds its fleet scale
by having the most Gulfstream and Bombardier aircraft in the
country, with 41% and 33% of the respective fleet operating in the
province. In terms of fleet size, Guangdong occupies the second
30
20
10
0
1970
1980
1990
2000
Year of Manufacture
2010
2017
2017 CHINA GA REPORT | 21