Airbus A320

A Chinese official in north China’s port city Tianjin said China has advantages in producing Airbus 320 planes which are being assembled from this month

Gou Lijun, director of the Administrative Committee of Tianjin’s Binhai New Area, said, ‘The market for China-made large-scale planes is China itself and the neighboring countries. Secondly, the A320 planes produced in China have the same quality standard as Europe.’

The A320 final assembly line, in the Binhai New Area, is run by a joint venture established in June last year between European aircraft maker Airbus and Tianjin Zhongtian Aviation Industry, a Chinese alliance of China Aviation Industry Corp I, China Aviation Industry Corp II and Tianjin Bonded Zone Investment. The first plane will be finally assembled this month.

It is intended the joint venture will produce 44 planes annually by 2011. By 2016 the total of assembled aircraft should be 284.

At the same time, China itself is also developing large-scale planes. Earlier this year saw the establishment of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, a company dedicated to the development of large-scale aircraft defined as planes that will carry 200 passengers.
Source: Xinhua

Kun Peng Airlines has ordered five Embraer 290 jets for $187.5 million. The new aircraft will be configured with 98 seats in a dual-class layout, and the first delivery is scheduled for 2008.

Headquartered in Xi’an City, Kun Peng Airlines is a joint venture between China’s Shenzhen Airline and the Mesa Air Group from the United States, with the Chinese company holding the larger share.

Since its start-up in September 2007, Kun Peng has managed to get more than 20 routes in operation.

The aircraft construction company itself is doing well with 847 firm orders and 827 options from more than 45 customers in 30 countries. It already has 1.5 million flight hours.

In searching for Kun Peng Airlines these details of its pay package for expatriate pilots on two year contracts came to light:

* Domicile: Beijing, China
* Base pay: $5700 per month (net)
* Housing allowance: $1200 per month
* Contract completion bonus (payable upon contract completion) $3000 for first year $6000 for second year
* Worldwide Medical/Dental insurance
* 9 days guaranteed off per month
* 30 days personal leave a year

Source: MarketWatch and Forums Jet.Careers

Sichuan Airlines, a mid-sized Chinese carrier, is in talks with Taiwan’s TransAsia Airways to set up a joint venture airline. Which is, perhaps, yet another sign of the move towards a normalization of relationships between the Mainland and Taiwan.

A spokeswoman said, ‘We have been in discussions with TransAsia to form a joint venture.’ She added that details of the proposed partnership had yet to be finalized.’

Sichuan Airlines, partly owned by China Southern Airlines, according to it web site operates more than 130 routes, almost entirely within China, with a fleet of 40 aircraft.

TransAsia Airways is an airline based in Taiwan. It mainly serves the domestic market but also has limited scheduled international services to Macau and South Korea and charter services to some holiday destinations.

TransAsia was formed in 1951 as one of the first private civil airline in Taiwan, flying the Taipei - Hualien - Taitung - Kaohsiung route. It also served as local agent of foreign airlines and provided airport ground handling services for foreign airlines.

Air services ceased in 1958 when the management of the airline decided to concentrate their attention on their agency businesses. It established its airline meal catering services in the same year.

Domestic flights were resumed in 1988, after an absence in the market for 30 years. First scheduled international services started in 1995 to Macau and Surabaya.
Source: Reuters and research.

Ameco Beijing, an aircraft maintenance joint venture between Air China and Lufthansa, will start construction on an RMB47 million warehouse this month.

Ameco said in a statement that the 8,000 square meter facility, which should be operational by October next year, will store civil aviation materials and maintenance tools.

Air China holds a 60% stake in Ameco Beijing while Lufthansa holds the remaining 40%. The joint venture is based at Beijing Capital International Airport.

A Chinese company and a Russian aviation institute have agreed to launch a private airplane production project in northeast China’s Jilin Province.

The cooperative venture, with a total investment of RMB800 million ($106 million), is expected to produce 500 two-seat and four-seat light aircraft and seaplanes for private use every year with an estimated revenue of RMB800 million.

Jilin-based Dingxin Technology and the Moscow Aviation Institute will be the two owners.

The Chinese company will hold 60% and the remaining 40% will belong to the institute. It will be located in the Jilin Municipal Economic Development Zone nearly 100 km east of the provincial capital Changchun.

Matveenko Alexander, principal of the institute, said the planes are likely to enter the northeast Asian market after the project is put into operation.

Which raises the small problem of where the planes will fly in China. As matters stand the control of air space means that general aviation — the term used for small aircraft being used for private business and pleasure — has little space in which to manouever. No doubt this will change now that China is going to produce its own light aircraft.

The illustration is of a Chinese light aircraft, the Little Hawk-500, which is about to start a spin test in Xi’an. This was the last in a series of flight-tests and the aircraft waltzed through it. This was the first time civil aviation had had this test in China.
Source: China.org.cn