郎朗
环球钜献 他拥有与生俱来的才情。10余年前甫一登场。便已撼动整个古典音乐界。如今，郎朗登上了另一段万里征 程——将音乐带给儿童，启发并激励他们去追求艺术。他为欠发达的民族和社会送去了音乐、送去了知识。他 珍惜上天赋予自己的才华，并选择将之回报大众。 庞巴迪非常荣幸地为郎朗国际音乐基金会提供捐助，以支持郎朗无私的追求。
我即环球 庞巴迪环球系列飞机全新亮相 庞巴迪 (Bombardier Global) 系列飞机拥有一流的性能，每一个座椅都堪称顶级水准。它动力强劲，可伴您飞跃千山万水， 航程能力非其他竞争机型所能比拟，当属那些渴望在世界舞台一展抱负之人士的理想选择。
更先进
更舒适
更自由
成就环球——如需了解更多有关郎朗国际音乐基金会的信息并为之提供捐助，敬请登陆 www.IAmGlobal.Bombardier.com
Bombardier, Global and I AM GLOBAL are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. © 2012 Bombardier Inc. All rights reserved.
更负责
价值的 清楚体现 参与CorporateCare®
提供最优质的发动机维护和服务是我们的事务，这使 CorporateCare® 已成为世界一流的商务发动机维护项 目。 事实胜于雄辩。参加CorporateCare注册的飞机 拥有更高的资产价值，因此，当您今天享受着心境的
www.rolls-royce.com
安宁，您也同时为明天投资。 欲知关于CorporateCare 的详情，请与销售 和营销副总裁-Steve Friedrich先生 联络， 电话：+1 (703) 834-1700，或 corporate.care@ rolls-royce.com。 Trusted to deliver excellence
Industry begs Indian officials to clear bizav growth obstacles
Nanded Airport, the western Indian state of Maharashtra is a prime example of the sort of airport that could be more easily accessed by business aircraft.
by Neelam Mathews With 154 aircraft, India may still have the Asia Pacific region’s second largest business jet fleet (China has an estimated 215 jets), but the industry’s growth continues to be stunted by a lack of a policy framework that applies to it, as well as by inadequate infrastructure and regulatory barriers. The Indian Business Aviation Operators Association (BAOA) is trying to change the government’s attitude, but the business aviation sector received only a passing mention in the latest draft civil aviation plan on which the anticipated new policy is expected to be founded.
However, with new business aircraft sales of around $12 billion expected in India by 2020, the government appears to recognize the need to be transparent and to provide clarity in its policy. A team of nine members, including representatives from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, is currently preparing a blueprint on business and general aviation in India to cover helicopters, fixedwing operations and amphibious aircraft. This report is due to be published next month and should outline a future
Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s new business aviation hotspot by Liz Moscrop Last month’s Singapore Airshow confirmed a trend that has been brewing for some time: that Indonesia is emerging as a business aviation hotspot in the Asia Pacific region. Last year the country’s economy grew at its fastest speed since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, with gross domestic product expanding by 6.5 percent. All this growth means that people are on the move, which doubtless prompted the recent mammoth order for 237 Boeing airliners placed by local carrier Lion Air. But the growth is also apparent in the business aviation sector, with Lion Air also having just ordered a pair of Hawker Beechcraft Hawker 900XP jets (plus options for two more). Some regional operators have been serving the area with piston- and turboprop-powered aircraft–for example, Susi Air has been operating Piaggio P-180 Avanti II turboprops for executive charter for several years–but, increasingly, the country’s fast-developing business aviation sector is looking to introduce jets. According to the Financial Times roughly $250 million worth of orders for private aircraft were placed over the past 12 months, including products from Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft, Bombardier,
Boeing Business Jets, Embraer and Gulfstream. The newspaper also reported that the number of Indonesian billionaires doubled to more than 20 in 2011 as the collective wealth of the 40 richest individuals swelled by some $30 billion. “Indonesia is the next big up and coming area,” Dan Keady, Hawker Beechcraft’s vice president for Asia and India, told AIN. “We sold four 900XPs there in the last quarter of 2011. We are starting to see highnet-worth individuals related to the mining industry take interest, as well as government flight-inspection departments.” Jean Michel Jacob, vice president of international sales for Dassault Falcon Jet, agreed, arguing that Indonesia’s dispersed geography makes a good case for using business aircraft. “There are 1,700 islands and lots of big industries,” he explained. “As people become wealthy they need to have comfort.” Other manufacturers report keen interest from Indonesia. “We are getting requests from the usual players there,” said Francois Chazelle, vice president of worldwide sales for Airbus Corporate Jets. “People want to travel long distances in the region.” He pointed to the inconvenience
For several years, Indonesian operator Susi Air has operated Piaggio’s P-180 Avanti II for executive charter flights, but increasingly, Indonesia’s fast-developing business aviation sector is looking to introduce jets.
strategy for the sector taking into account its current constraints infrastructure and regulations, an ICAO official told AIN at the third Indian Business Aviation Expo (IBAE) held last month in New Delhi. The recommendations should be incorporated into India’s new civil aviation policy. “It is essential that a senior official in the ministry of civil aviation be made of traveling commercially, and said, “It is useful to have a private jet based in Jakarta, either for business or personal travel. This will stimulate growth.” Similarly, Ernest Edwards, president of Embraer’s Executive Jets division, agreed that the archipelago is a sweet spot for the Brazilian airframer. “We just delivered a Lineage 1000 in Indonesia and see it as an up-and-coming market,” he told AIN. Several business aviation service and systems providers share the optimism manufacturers have for the reborn Indonesia market. “The strongest potential market for private jets is China, but we are seeing that Indonesia and the rest of Southeast Asia are not far behind,” commented Keith Morgan, a director of TAG Aviation Asia. Aircraft owners are pressing Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to boost market conditions with more user-friendly regulation, including the certification regime. Evidence of this improved environment comes from the country’s largest charter operator, Enggang Air Service, managing to install full satellite communications connectivity in one of its Embraer Legacy 600s. “This is a significant milestone for our industry,” said Gerry Soejatman, solutions manager for aviation and defense services, with the satcom system’s provider PT Dini Nusa Kusuma. “We have been working alongside the DGCA to overcome the challenges of installation.” o
the point guard for general and business aviation,” said Kapil Kaul, CEO for India and the Middle East with the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA). “The Directorate General of Civil Aviation [DGCA] requires an organizational structure to oversee the interests of nonscheduled operators. The Airports Authority of India and BAOA should also be involved in major decisions being taken on policy. I believe procedural bottlenecks will be achieved. Structural issues will take time.” On the matter of airports, for example, he said, Mumbai, the commercial capital of India accounts for almost half the country’s total corporate revenues and is potentially the largest business aviation market in the country. In addition, business activity in the fastest growing nearby state of Gujarat is also closely tied to Mumbai. “But, the airport [Mumbai] is slot constrained and is actively discouraging business aviation movements with the imposition of peak-hour curfews,” said Kaul. “General aviation parking bays are exhausted and the situation is unlikely to improve for five years until the second airport opens.” Kaul added that he believes the restrictions and congestion at Mumbai will continue to suppress overall business aviation growth in India. CAPA’s recent report highlighted a complete lack of recognition for the business aviation sector in Indian government policy, compounded by a shortage of skills and training capacity that is even more acute than it is for the country’s commercial airline industry. On top of this, the report said, India’s financial institutions, which already stand accused of having failed to back the country’s commercial aviation sector, have shown limited interest in stimulating business aviation. Clearances a Problem
The issues do not confine themselves to Indian companies, as many obstacles block the paths of foreign firms wanting to fly privately into the country and to invest in it. “Pain points [in India] start with getting clearances in a timely manner,” said Lex den Herder, vice president for government and industry affairs with flight support group Universal Weather and Aviation. He recommended that India introduce a more streamlined permit system that would reduce requirements for landing and overflight approvals, improve the processing of formalities for customs and immigration, and introduce a favorable fiscal and regulatory climate for purchasing and operating business aircraft.
www.ainonline.com • March 29, 2012 • ABACE Convention News 9
No customs duty is levied by India on foreign-registered aircraft as long as they fly out of the country within 15 days of arrival. This rule prompts many Indian companies with subsidiaries in foreign countries that have the same chairman to have a U.S. or other foreign registration for their aircraft to avoid tax and other regulatory hurdles. For instance, DGCA does not allow pilots to cross over from one Indian-registered aircraft to another, so should a pilot fall sick, it is easier to replace him or her if the aircraft is registered overseas. Clearances for heavy maintenance and pilot training can also prove to be impediments. All of these factors seem to bolster the general belief among India’s private and corporate owners that resale values of foreign-owned aircraft will hold up better than those for aircraft registered at home. Customs Duty and Taxes
India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence is currently scrutinizing eight Indian companies that it believes are basing their foreign-registered corporate aircraft overseas to evade customs duty and taxes. The agency is said to be looking at the status of a Boeing 727 owned by the UB Group,
Punj Lloyd’s Gulfstream, Essar’s Boeing 737 and Bharat Hotel’s Embraer Legacy 600. Several other corporate jets are also understood to be under the scanner. The customs duty for an aircraft imported for commercial operation is 2.5 percent of the purchase price. But this rises to 25 percent for aircraft coming into India purely for private use. “This is causing a major roadblock for the progress of general aviation in India and it is something the government needs to examine seriously,” commented Vivit Phatak, cofounder and managing director of new Indian executive charter operator Invision (see box). “Nowhere else in the world are there customs duties on aircraft and there are no business jet manufacturers in India to protect. The reason that the Indian government seems to have introduced the tax is that they presume a business jet is a luxury good and do not see it as a practical tool that can actually add to the economic growth of the country.” “The overall sense I get is bureaucracy is clogging things up,” commented den Herder. “My dispatchers and crew tell me that the flight-plan filing process is very cumbersome, with several government hoops that do not exist elsewhere. From
what I gather in the industry, the leadership of many [aircraft] manufacturers say it is actually easier to ship something from outside India to India than within. That has actually held up some companies from placing a parts depot there.” MRO Problems
Bharat Malkani, chairman of Indian maintenance, repair and overhaul provider Max Aerospace & Aviation agrees. “MROs in general aviation face the same problem as airline MROs, where third-party MROs are required to deal with the high tax regime in India,” he explained to AIN. “In addition to VAT, service tax and customs duty, they have the issue of paying royalties to the airports [to import spare parts].” By 2020, India will need a lot more infrastructure to cope with the growth in the business aviation industry. According to Rohit Kapur, president of India’s BAOA, the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Agra and Goa will all need alternative airports for business aviation traffic. Overall, BAOA says that during the next eight years India needs to develop as many as 100 additional airfields with at least the following infrastructure to
Invision Thinks Big with Light-Jet Network Invision Air is seeking to bring economies of scale to kick-start Indian service centers, Air Works and Indamar. The work is being orgaIndia’s executive charter sector. For the most part, the industry con- nized through task-based agreements, with the operator having the sists of small operators with no more than two or three aircraft each. option to go to either provider depending on which is the most conBut the Mumbai-based startup has placed an order with Embraer for venient option at any given time. 12 aircraft, a mix of Phenom 100 and 300 light jets. For now Invision has three Phenom 100s, based at Delhi, Mumbai Last year, Invision tested the market with two Phenom 100s and the and Nashik. Pathak sees a lot of charter growth coming from secresults were sufficiently encouraging for it to take the next step. However, ond- and third-tier cities that do not have good airline service. Nashik, it did reduce its original order from 18 of the four-passenger Phenom 100s which he described as India’s answer to California’s Napa Valley wine and two of the eight-passenger Phenom 300s to just six of each type. region, is both a business and tourism center and yet, like many “We want to address the entry-level segment paying $3,000 an smaller cities, can be reached only via inconvenient airline connechour against the present $4,500,” Invision cofounder and managing tions through distant hub airports. director Vinit Pathak told AIN. “We expect this segment to gradually At the same time, the new operator also sees potential demand move up as the market increases. Also, as a startup, the initial capi- from larger cities where airlines are cutting business-class service in tal cost is less.” favor of low-fare services. Pathak told AIN that he is talking to airlines For Pathak, whose Invision group has been successful in both about the possibility of providing onward domestic service for their telecommunications and safety products, the Phenom was a natu- first-class passengers arriving on international flights. ral choice. “It is practical luxury, not ostentatious,” he commented. “The aircraft is not a bedroom but a meeting room in the sky. There is a growth in rural areas as real estate explodes with wealth opportunities. Phenom 100s can land there.” Looking to future plans for Invision to offer service outside India, Pathak is already eyeing the larger Legacy 500 and 600 models for fleet development. Commonality across the Embraer product range is a big factor in his Vinit Phatak plans to develop Invision Air as a large, networked operator of Embraer’s Phenom 100 (above left) and 300 business model. light jets. It expects to have six bases throughout India by year-end. In addition to standard charters, Invision will offer jet card membership (through which clients by blocks By the end of 2012, Invision will select three more bases from citof 25 flight hours). Planned for the future is a package through which ies, including Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Jaipur, Bangalore and Chennai. customers will purchase whole aircraft and then lease them back to The operator currently employs five pilots and expects to add five Invision. Phathak maintained that fractional ownership is not a practi- more by the end of this year. cal option in India due to its complex tax and import rules. Pathak told AIN that sourcing flight crew was quite a challenge at Standard hourly rates for the Phenom 100s are around $3,000 the start-up phase of the business since there were no pilots type-rated (plus expenses and taxes), but this will be reduced for jet card clients. on the Phenoms in India. “We had to find suitably experienced pilots on Invision anticipates that hourly rates for the larger Phenom 300s will other aircraft and get them trained or type rated,” he explained. “We be around $5,000. also had to provide them with sufficient actual flying time on the new Support for the Invision fleet has been arranged through two aircraft, which was costly and time consuming.” –N.M.
10 ABACE Convention News • March 29, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
accommodate growing general aviation activity: a 5,000-foot (1,524-m) runway able to accept aircraft of up to 100,000 pounds (45,360 kg) maximum takeoff weight, with basic landing aids and a 5,000-sq-ft (465-sq-m) terminal building. The association estimates that India needs at least 20 new FBOs to cover the existing main airports and that there is also a case for establishing as many as 700 heliports around the country. Invision’s Phatak backed the case for more FBOs. “The market is so immature that we take what is given to us,” he told AIN. “It is also a monopolistic scenario. Take Mumbai, for example. If we take a client just to show him an aircraft, we need to pay $2,000.” On the other hand, parking charges for the light jets his company operates remain very modest for the time being–about 50 cents per hour. In addition, BAOA said about five major new MRO facilities spread out across the country geographically will be required to maintain the growing business aviation fleet of aircraft and helicopters. This will require an investment of some $3.15 billion, Kapur estimated. Despite all these challenges, India’s business aviation potential can hardly be ignored with an economy expected to maintain strong and sustained growth. As Asia Pacific markets mature up to 2021, the region will have between 1,363 and 1,690 business aircraft worth $40 billion to $48 billion, according to the most recent forecast from Embraer. Of this total, India’s share will be between 390 and 485 aircraft valued collectively at between $10 billion and $12 billion, while that of China will be between 522 and 635 aircraft worth between $17.4 billion and $21 billion. “India’s GDP growth shall outperform world and Asian rates as well as [those of] emerging countries like Brazil and China by 2016,” predicted Jose Eduardo Costas, Asia Pacific sales and marketing vice president with Embraer Executive Jets. “Its economy shall surpass Germany’s by 2025. There is $1 trillion in the hands of 332 billionaires in Asia Pacific.” o
Nexus Extends Flight Support Network Into India Middle East-based flight support group Nexus Flight Operations Services is preparing to set up an operation in India. Nexus India is being established through a partnership with Mumbai-based Sovika Airline Services, which has been involved in aircraft handling and airport support for more than 20 years. “During the past decade the market growth in India has been phenomenal and is set to further increase as the Indian economy continues its expansion,” commented Nexus chairman Mohammed Alzeer. “Our vision is to transform Nexus into a global service provider through strong partnerships with the most reputable aviation organizations. In India, Sovika is a leader that we are proud to partner with.” Saudi Arabia-based Nexus has also been expanding its operations in Africa. It has flight operations centers in Bahrain and Rwanda. –N.M.
by Mark Huber announced a substantial increase in its international sales force and is moving to improve the
ideally suited for the Asian market because of its performance and easy to maintain design simplicity. The company avoided incorporating fly-bywire controls, such as those being offered on the Embraer Legacy 500, on the Latitude. While the aircraft’s range will be 500 nm more than the company’s current midsize offering, the
$12.5 million Citation XLS+, the Latitude will retain that aircraft’s good short-field capabilities, but with a much more comfortable cabin and more modern avionics. Designed for missions lasting up to an hour longer than those flown by the XLS+, the Latitude’s new cabin has expanded to increase passenger comfort. o
®
SIT US A I V
Booth
T
Cessna is looking to give longer legs to its new mid-size $14.9 million Citation Latitude in a move that should suit the Asian market. The company recently announced a 15-percent range increase for the aircraft, to 2,300 nm (4,257 km) and was quick to point out all the inter-Asian and -Australian city pairings this made possible. They include the following flights: Beijing-Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta-Taipei, Shanghai-Singapore, Hong KongTokyo, Hong Kong-Chennai, Manila-Port Moresby, ManilaKolkato, Singapore-Mumbai and Sydney-Perth. These city pairings are based on Mach 0.80 (980 km/h) cruise speeds at 43,000 feet (13,106 m) with Boeing’s assessment of 85 percent annual winds. Aiming the Latitude at the Asian market is Cessna’s latest step at increasing its presence here. Later this year the manufacturer is to open a joint 524,200-sqft maintenance and sales facility at Singapore’s Seletar Aerospace Park in partnership with sister company Bell Helicopter. Asia currently represents just 10 percent of business jet sales for Cessna. By the time the new Latitude rolls off the production line in 2015, the Wichita-based OEM hopes to have all the necessary infrastructure in place to support it in Asia, and that includes personalizing aircraft interiors to reflect cultural tastes. Cessna vice president Cindy Halsey said the company is in the process of building more design centers around the world–including in Asia–to better accommodate specific regional tastes. “We plan to have design centers throughout the world and each of these design centers will be armed with this [customer] toolkit,” Halsey told AIN. “They will have the ability to tailor and design their own look for the different markets. We want boots on the ground in different parts of the world [belonging to design] professionals, who can take that [look] and alter it to accommodate individual customer tastes.” To that end, Cessna recently
quality of its internal communications at all levels of the company. On March 1, the company appointed Bill Harris as vice president of sales for Asia and Asia Pacific. Singapore-based Harris began his Cessna career as manager of single-engine sales in Asia, Middle East and Africa. Beyond its look and feel, Cessna feels the Latitude is
#323
•
•
Cessna boosts Latitude’s range to suit Asian needs
ABACE
www.ainonline.com • March 29, 2012 • ABACE Convention News 11
庞巴迪公司希望凭借最新的 里尔85中型商务机重振雄风
Bombardier thinks big with new midsize Learjet 85
作者：Mark Huber
by Mark Huber
今年，庞巴迪公司将启动商务航空史上 最具雄心的一个试飞项目。它推出的里尔 85型喷气机定于2013年投入商业运营。未 来几个月内，将有五架试飞机型投入首飞 试验。里尔85是第一架经《美国联邦航空 法规》（FAR）第25部分的严格标准认证 的复合材料飞机。它开创了许多先河：创 造了介于中型和超中型之间的新型商务机 类别；机舱内饰从豪华汽车业中汲取大量 经验；机身和机翼采用复合材料；形成一 条运转良好的全球复杂供应链，确保按预 定的性能和运营目标，使飞机如期面市。 自豪客比奇公司在80年代推出命运多 舛、造型前卫的 比奇星舟飞机后，这在 里尔系列飞机的诞生地（堪萨斯州的威奇 托）是一件最重要的盛事。庞巴迪公司仅 生产53架原型机就花费了近10亿美元的研 发成本。因此它希望里尔85能带来意想不 到的惊喜。庞巴迪公司还在项目的核心部 分采取风险消减措施。 里尔85开创了一个全新的市场定位。 据庞巴迪公司介绍，与性能最接近的竞争 机型相比，它的机舱容积要多出19%。对 中型市场而言，里尔85的机舱宽绰有余： 长24.9 ft（7.5 m）、宽6.1 ft（1.85 m）、 高6 ft（1.82 m），客舱容积665 ft3（18.8 m3），行李舱容积130 ft3（3.7 m3），另 外还有三个大橱柜可提供30 ft3（0.8 m3） 的储物空间。 客户能选择多种配置，包括采用双人 并排布局的八张单人办公座椅或六张单人 座椅，以及一张三位长沙发。单人座 椅可倾斜30 in（76 cm）并且能完全放平 作为床铺。一次最多能同时放平四张座
椅。具有波状外形的单人座椅配有可缩回 椅背的扶手，而且能为体形高大的乘客提 供更充裕的底部空间。座椅底架内的储物 抽屉朝向舱内过道，便于就座的乘客随时 打开。其内部大到足以能放下笔记本电 脑。配备长沙发和平躺座椅的里尔85能完 成3000 nm（5552 km）的航 程（搭载四名乘客）。 对中型商务机而言，它的机舱整体设计 前卫而大胆。喷溅式的镀铝内饰表面、图 案鲜明的地毯、光滑细腻的黑色木料和橱 柜、流畅的椭圆形和曲线外形，以及手工 缝制的白色纯皮座椅，让人感觉仿佛置身 崭新的宾利欧陆款豪车内部。庞巴迪公司 特地邀请蜚声业界的英国汽车内饰设计公 司Design Q负责设计，这家公司擅长为超级 跑车（像阿斯顿·马丁、法拉利和玛萨拉 蒂）设计内饰，它还为超级游艇、重要客 户和各种固定翼、旋转翼飞机提供豪华内
This year, Bombardier will launch one of the most ambitious flight-test programs in business aviation history. The Learjet 85 is scheduled to enter service in 2013 and as many as five test aircraft could make their first flights in the coming months. The 85 will be the first mostly composite aircraft certified under the stringent requirements of Part 25 of the U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) and breaks ground on several fronts: creating a new category of business jet between midsize and supermidsize; featuring a cabin that draws heavily from the luxury automobile industry; using composites for the fuselage and wings; and stitching together a complex global supply chain that must function perfectly for the company to bring the aircraft to market on time and within its performance and weight targets. The 85 opens a new market niche.
性能参数 AT A GLANCE
LEARJET 85 AT A GLANCE
价格（2011年）
1825万美元
Price (2011 $)
$18.25 million
乘客
8-9 人
Passengers
8 to 9
航程*
3000 nm (4828 km)
Range*
3,000 nm (4,828 km)
最高巡航速度
0.8马赫（980 km/h）
Max. cruising speed
Mach 0.8 (980 km/h)
长度: 24. 9 ft (7.54 m)
Length: 24 ft 9 in (7.54 m)
高度: 6.0 ft (1.82 m) 机舱
宽度: 6.1 ft (1.85 m) 容积: 665 ft3 (18.8 m3)
*搭载四名乘客、两名机组人员和 100 nm 储备燃料 资料来源：庞巴迪公司r
12 ABACE Convention News • March 29, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.82 m) Cabin
Width: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Volume: 665 cu ft (18.8 cu m)
* with four passengers, two crew and 100 nm reserves Source: Bombardier
Bombardier claims it will have 19 percent more cabin volume than its closest competitor. Indeed, for a midsize, the 85’s cabin is already spacious: 24 feet nine inches long (7.5 m); six feet one inch (1.85 m) wide; and six feet tall (1.82 m), yielding 665 cu ft (18.8 cu m) of passenger space and 130 cu ft (3.7 m) of luggage stowage, including three large cabin closets with a combined 30 cu ft (0.8 cu m) of storage. Several configurations will be available, including eight single executive seats in a double-club layout or six single seats and a three-place divan. The single seats are pitched at 30 inches (76 cm) and recline into full-berthing positions. A maximum of four can be berthed at any one time. The highly contoured single seats feature armrests that retract into the seat backs that can give plus-sized passengers bigger seat-bottom cushions. Seat pedestal stowage drawers that open into the aircraft aisle are significantly easier for passengers to access while seated. They are big enough to hold a laptop computer. The divan and the berthing seats reflect the 85’s 3,000-nm (5,552-km) range (with four passengers). The overall cabin design is bold, even daring, for a midsize corporate jet, with splashes of aluminized interior surfaces, wild-patterned carpet, glossy black wood accents and cabinets, flowing oval and curved shapes and hand-stitched white leather seats that look as if they came from a new Bentley Continental.
《商务航空旅游》杂志是您私人航空旅行的专业顾问 本文最早刊登于《商务航空旅游》杂志—它是AIN集团旗下的公司，该集团还 出版《ABACE展会新闻》，并提供全球各地知名航空展览的每日简讯，以及按 月发行的《国际航空新闻》。 在本届上海举办的亚洲商用航空会议暨展览会（ABACE）上，您可以选择 迄今为止第一本中文版《商务航空旅游》杂志提供的年度购买指南。它旨 在为中国的私人飞机用户提供最全面的购买指南，便于其了解目前市场上 最知名的商务机。目前尚无其他私人航空杂志以如此客观、独立的视角提 供如此详尽的航空资讯。 自2003年起，《商务航空旅游》（或BJT）杂志就因帮助订阅者最大限度扩大 在私人航空领域的投资效益而广为人知。它以客观公正的视角介绍全新和二手飞 机，提供购买和销售飞机的专业建议，还有关于税费、法律、融资、安全、维 护、保险和其他方面的贴心提示。它还刊载与最新豪华汽车、度假胜地和其他休 闲娱乐有关的文章，以及对包括钢琴才子郎朗、房地产业巨头Donald Trump和知 名企业家Richard Branson爵士在内的知名商务机用户的专访。您找不到任何一 本能提供如此丰富内容的杂志。 自从杂志出版以来，BJT的高净值读者人数已增长了55%。在同一时期内，它 还获得了十多项主要的编辑大奖。 要了解更多内容，请访问www.bjtonline.com或www.ainonline.com。您可以 –Jeff Burger 注册用户以接收赠阅的BJT 和AIN。 饰的设计服务。Design Q此前曾与庞巴迪 公司合作，共同为2007年首次亮相的全球 快车XRS型商务机设计了Vision飞行甲板。 设计人员不遗余力地打造了一个令人 倍感宽敞的机舱。侧壁不是顺机舱两侧往 下延伸，而是基本紧贴座椅。侧壁内装有 足以容纳公文包的储物柜，可作为机舱控 制区、储物区和侧壁桌台。 使座椅之间保持开放的空间，不仅给 人以更开放、更通风的感觉，而且还提供 了更多的放脚间。同样，椭圆形装置内设 有送气系统、阅读灯和下拉式氧气面罩， 它不是沿天花板的全长排列，而是突出于 单人座椅的机舱顶部。 这种售价1825万美元的远程喷气机还 配有设施齐全的厨房和安装真空抽吸系统 的舱尾洗手间。与目前其他的机舱设计 一样，里尔85配备了更大的机窗、高度整 体化、流线型的机顶和侧壁。庞巴迪公 司指定汉莎技术公司提供机舱管理系统； 罗克韦尔·柯林斯公司提供功能先进（ 包括合成视觉）的三屏Pro Line Fusion航 电系统；普拉特·惠特尼加拿大公司提供 新型PW307B发动机。它的最高巡航速度 为0.80马赫（980 km/h），而且能在5000 ft（1524 m）的跑道上顺利起降。 摒弃金属材料，使用复合材料大大减 少了飞机的子结构，这不仅能减轻整体重 量，而且增加了机舱容积。里尔85的机 翼采用了复合材料蒙皮和纵梁以及金属翼 肋，这与目前正在研发的庞巴迪C系列支 线飞机的设计类似。金属翼肋能更好地吸 收机翼内侧的载荷，并能更有效地控制 公差。里尔85的机舱要比外形更小的里尔
60XR的机舱大1/3，但却比真正意义上的 超中型飞机略小一点。 尽管里尔82比里尔60重1/3，它只需要 增加20%的推力，满载燃料时它能多飞 500 英里 （925 km），而且最高巡航速 度也更胜一筹，所以它具有更出色的比 油耗。庞巴迪公司位于墨西哥克雷塔罗州 （Queretaro）的复合材料生产厂负责生产 飞机主结构。最后组装将在威奇托完成。 庞巴迪公司的研发和生产团队将密切合 作，共同审查位于威奇托、蒙特利尔、贝 尔法斯特、北爱尔兰和克雷塔罗的飞机制 造商。整个庞巴迪公司致力于里尔85项目 的员工有近1250人。 生产复合材料结构时不考虑重量变 化、成本和不确定性是一项非常棘手的任 务，包括波音公司在内的许多飞机制造商 对此都深有感触。庞巴迪公司设计了一种 它认为能解决这一问题的生产流程。先通 过电脑画出复合材料板材的工程样图，然 后借助模具造出原型。这能确保精确控制 每个板材和复合材料层的连接，而且有助 于控制重量。庞巴迪公司目前正专注于对 该流程进行优化，以确保能以正确的产量 重复进行生产。尽管将公司的大部分资源 都投入了里尔85项目，庞巴迪仍需依赖41 家“主要”供应商，而且还在这些供应商 的厂内使用了63套试验设备，以保证最后 组装时，飞机的所有组件都能正常运转。 这种新型飞机凝聚了庞巴迪公司的大 量心血，它很可能会让日渐没落的里尔品 牌重振当年的雄风。毫无疑问，它是长久 以来又一款出自威奇托的最具创新、令人 振奋的新机型。
庞巴迪公司指定罗克韦尔·柯林斯公司提供功能 先进的三屏Pro Line Fusion航电系统 包括合成 视觉。
Bombardier selected Rockwell Collins to provide the advanced features of its three-screen Pro Line Fusion avionics system, including synthetic vision.
据庞巴迪公司介绍，它推出的新型里尔85中型商 务机的机舱容积，比其他性能最接近的竞争机型 的机舱容积多出19%。
Bombardier claims the cabin of its new Learjet 85 midsize aircraft will deliver 19 percent more volume than that of its nearest competitor.
Bombardier enlisted Design Q, the UK consultancy best known for automotive styling work on supercars such as Aston Martin, Ferrari and Maserati; the firm also works on mega-yachts and VIP and luxury airline interiors for a variety of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. Designers worked hard to create a spacious-feeling cabin. Rather than running the sidewall ledges down the entire length of both sides of the cabin, the sidewall basically starts and stops next to the seats. Stowage nooks big enough to hold briefcases are molded into the sidewalls, as are cabin controls, ledge space and sidewall table stowage. Leaving the space open between the seats not only creates a more open and airy look; it yields more legroom. Similarly, oval-shaped units containing gaspers, reading lights and drop-down oxygen masks protrude from the cabin ceiling over individual seats rather than running the full length of the ceiling. This longer-legged, $18.25 million Learjet also features a full galley and an aft cabin lavatory with a vacuum toilet system. Like several other contemporary cabin designs, the 85 will feature larger cabin windows, and more monolithic, streamlined headliners and sidewalls. Bombardier has tapped Lufthansa Technik to provide the cabin management system; Rockwell Collins for a
three-screen Pro Line Fusion avionics system with advanced capabilities including synthetic vision; and Pratt & Whitney Canada for new PW307B engines. Maximum cruise speed is Mach 0.80 (980 km/h) and the aircraft is designed to operate comfortably from 5,000-foot (1,524-meter) runways. Using composites as opposed to metal eliminates much, but not all, of the aircraft’s substructure, saving weight while increasing available cabin volume. The 85’s wings will use composite skins and spars and metal ribs. The 85’s cabin is one third larger than the smaller Learjet 60XR’s, yet slightly smaller than that in a true super-midsize. While the 85 will weigh one third more than the 60, it will need only 20 percent more thrust, fly 500 more miles (925 km) on a load of fuel and have a slightly higher top cruise speed–all while offering better specific fuel consumption. Bombardier is relying on its composites plant in Queretaro, Mexico, to fabricate the structure. Final assembly is to take place in Wichita. Bombardier development and production teams are working to validate the aircraft’s manufacture in Wichita; Montreal; Belfast, Northern Ireland; and Querétaro. Throughout Bombardier, approximately 1,250 employees are dedicated to the Learjet 85 program. o
Business Jet Traveler Helps Passengers Make the Most of Private Air Travel This article first appeared in Business Jet Traveler magazine–part of the AIN group, which also produces ABACE Convention News and many other daily editions at leading airshows around the world, as well as the monthly editions of Aviation International News. Here at the ABACE show in Shanghai, you can also pick the first ever Chinese-language edition of Business Jet Traveler’s annual Buyers’ Guide. This has been produced to give Chinese private aviation users the most comprehensive guide to buying and using business aircraft available today. No other private aviation magazine covers this mode of transportation in such detail and with such objectivity and independence. Business Jet Traveler–or BJT, as it is widely known–has been helping subscribers maximize their investment in private aviation since 2003. It offers unbiased reviews of new and used aircraft; advice about buying and selling jets; and information about taxes, laws, financing, safety, maintenance, insurance and more. It also features articles about new luxury cars, vacation destinations and other leisure pursuits, plus interviews with famous business jet users ranging from pianist Lang Lang to real-estate mogul Donald Trump and the entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson. It’s a blend of content you can’t find in any other magazine anywhere in the world. BJT’s exclusive audience of high-net-worth readers has grown 55 percent since the magazine began publishing. During the same period, it has won more than a dozen major editorial awards. To see more content like this go to www.bjtonline.com or www.ainonline.com. You can register to receive complimentary subscriptions to both BJT and AIN. –Jeff Burger
www.ainonline.com • March 29, 2012 • ABACE Convention News 13
Business aviation faces easier ride in China but expertise still needed by Curt Epstein With business aviation in China continuing its upward trajectory, life is getting somewhat more straightforward for this class of aircraft operators according to those most closely involved in trying to help them, namely flight planning and support companies. Though flights into and within the vast country still remain somewhat complicated due largely to regulatory and technical differences with most other regions of the world, according the major flight planning providers there have been recent signs of improvement.
sponsor who will be responsible for the flight’s passengers will also be required to submit a letter to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) detailing why the flight is visiting the country. “It’s not like climbing Mount Everest, but it does take a little bit of time,” said Pahl, who noted one recent improvement: for the last five years, multinational corporations have been able to list their in-country office as the sponsor of their visit, whereas prior to that sponsors were almost necessarily a government agency. In cases of multi-
From remote offices such as Jeppesen’s international trip planning center in San Jose, California, flight planners schedule and coordinate private flights to and within China in cooperation with the companies’ in-country representatives.
“It has gradually improved over the years so it is better than it was even five, 10 years ago,” said Nancy Pierce, a business consultant with Jeppesen. “Having more and more aircraft coming into China has certainly helped them with understanding the purpose of business travel.” The Process
One of the key differences in preparing for a flight into the Peoples’ Republic starts with the landing permit application. “The application is pretty extensive with the information they require in order to be considered for a landing permit,” said Matt Pahl, Rockwell Collins’s manager of flight operation services (Booth P705), “more so than in most parts of the world.” Among the necessary details: entry and exit points, arrival dates and times, airway routes, full crew and passenger manifests–including dates of birth, passport numbers and expiration dates–broken down by leg of travel, and sponsor contact information. The
leg flights, CAAC may require an operator to submit a sponsor letter for each stop on the trip. Seeking Approval
Once the application is submitted, it is reviewed by various agencies in China, including the CAAC, and the military air traffic control, which owns the airspace and will have final say on the selection of a proper airway. “Bear in mind that many airways in China are dedicated to local airline operations and are not permitted for business aircraft use,” said Sheng “Jimmy” Young, Universal Weather and Aviation’s country manager in China. Young added that the mandated routings for business aviation can often have an effect on altitude and fuel burn. “Airway structure and restrictions prevent operators from maximizing the aircraft’s true performance capability.” Since the designation of airways can vary from year to year, it is crucial for flight planners to be current on the most recent designations. Once the routing is approved, the operator should
examine it closely to make sure that it has not been changed by authorities as operators are expected to fly their approved route precisely. Requests to use a certain airport in Shanghai, for example, are not always honored, especially during peak congestion times, and flights can be assigned to a nonpreferred destination airport. While the amount of lead time requested by each flight planner to obtain a permit varies, they all say the earlier the application is submitted in advance of the flight, the better. While flight-planning companies can occasionally expedite rush requests, operators should plan on allowing the CAAC at least a week to process the permit application. Yet, submitting a landing permit application far in advance can result in other problems due to the rigidity of the Chinese regulations. “Obviously business [aircraft] operators like to change their schedules a lot, which is why the VIPs have the aircraft to start with,” said Pierce. “That’s doesn’t sit too well with the Chinese authorities, so we certainly recommend that customers don’t change their plans at all.” While she acknowledges that unavoidable changes in travel dates, itineraries and passenger manifests do occur, Pierce cautioned operators to keep them to a minimum. “If we keep going to civil air to revise a permit over and over, they can get to their breaking point,” potentially resulting in the denial of the permit. Another important point is that every person on the aircraft must have a valid, proper visa. While citizens of several c ountries, including Russia, Japan, Australia, Britain and Germany can obtain visas upon arrival in some of China’s largest cities, everyone else is required to have one prior to boarding the airplane or face fines or even immediate deportation on arrival. Universal’s Young advises crewmembers to make sure they have the correct and valid visa type. Crewmembers require type “C” visas, which in China are only valid for seven days unless an extension is obtained. Multi-entry and annual crew visas are also available. Young noted that crewmembers entering China commercially
14 ABACE Convention News • March 29, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
(such as a relief crew, or those picking up or d elivering an aircraft) may, in fact, require more than one type of visa. Cost Conscious
As is the case in much of Asia, business aviation operations in China are expensive, with fees for larger aircraft easily totaling upward $7,000, among them the notorious “compensation fee,” of approximately $3,000 (U.S.). “They are assessing a fee because you are carrying passengers, even if it’s your own corporate executives on the plane, because you are taking away revenue from their local airline,” said Jeppesen’s Pierce. “They’re saying you could be flying Air China, or China Airlines, and you’re bringing your own airplane. That’s the rationale, like it or not.” Air navigation fees add approximately $0.44 cents per kilometer for large aircraft. Another source of unexpected fees could come if an operator is planning to visit a more remote location, rather than Bejing, Shanghai, Shenzhen or one of China’s other large cities, for example. CAAC will require that a local navigator be in the cockpit of the aircraft for that leg of the trip, and the operator will liable for– depending on where he can come aboard the aircraft–his flights to meet the airplane, his meals and lodging. In the end, operators can expect to receive at least two invoices upon departure: one from the ground handler and a civil aviation invoice from Tong Da, the billing center that is authorized by the CAAC to collect fees. On Arrival
At some of China’s more congested airports, business aviation arrivals and departures may be restricted to certain time periods or assigned landing slots. In most cases, if an operator is able to schedule the flight to arrive outside of the stated busy hours there should be little difficulty, according to the flight planners. Based on that congestion, airplanes headed to China should carry their own tow bars. “Some of the busier airports do require that you have a tow bar on board,” said Pahl. “You may or may not need it depending on the parking situation. You can power out of some of the stands and with others you will have to be towed out before you can start the engines.” In terms of ground handling, in recent years new Western-style FBOs have appeared at
Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, and more are planned. “It was a big step to get FBOs like that up in the last four years or so,” said Matt York, a handler relations supervisor with Jeppesen (Booth H607). “It seems like a long time for what we are used to, but for China that was quite large.” At airports currently lacking an FBO, a good ground handler should request the use of a VIP room, noted York. “I really don’t look at it as being any big headache if there isn’t an FBO. They know how to treat business aircraft,” he said. “Yes, you will be processed through a terminal, but they do have a separate VIP service to make sure it is more private.” The major flight planners will generally ensure that either one of their in-country employees or a representative from one of their ground-handling partners will meet customer flights to help expedite services such customs, lavatory cleaning and fueling. Catering at most of China’s major airports is not a problem, according to the flight planners, and the ground handler should be able to contract with an airline caterer. In smaller cities, provisioning can usually be arranged through a local hotel, if the facilities at the airport don’t measure up. Most of the airports in China do not accept credit cards, which could prove an inconvenience for fueling payments according to Universal (Booth H608). Operators must have either a pre-arranged contract fuel agreement or pay cash. Maintenance infrastructure is still a work in progress in many areas of China and, unless the situation is one of questionable airworthiness, most foreign operators tend to fly to better-equipped providers in Hong Kong or Singapore. “Some customers will travel with a mechanic when they go to China,” said Pahl. “They may bring some common spares on the airplane because they know they are going to a region where it is a little more difficult to get service.” Overall, the consensus is that while China is making strides, there are still some changes to be made. “Up until 15 to 20 years ago there wasn’t a whole lot of business aviation traffic in China,” said Pahl. “There has been a continual education process, a continual recognition by the government authorities in particular that they need to change their procedures so that they have a better way to handle the general and business aviation community, and that’s really what’s happened.” o
Don’t forget to reserve your space for EBACE 2012, May 14-16
R A T E B I N
E
L
C
G S
F
O
R
T Y
A Y E
R
Superior coverage at the annual European meeting place for business aviation professionals To inquire about a range of opportunities and packages, please contact Tony Romano: +1.203.798.2400 or aromano@AINonline.com
EBACE 2012
Jetex smoothes the path for operators in China by Charles Alcock
在北京Jetex支持人员提供援 助，中国商用飞机运营商的日 益增多和来访的外国飞机。
Jetex Support staff in Beijing provide assistance to the growing numbers of Chinese business aircraft operators and to visiting foreign aircraft.
Jetex为中国航空营 运商铺平了道路 撰稿人：Charles Alcock 自两年前起，Jetex Flight Support就在中国成立新的办事 处，为国内日渐增长的商用飞机营运商服务并协助客户购买国 外飞机。北京的10-超级团队成员大都是中国人，但其中也有来 自Jetex迪拜总部的同事。除了汉语普通话和英语外，Jetex的 员工还能够用阿拉伯语、法语、以及俄语为客户服务。 Jetex东亚及大中华区经理李开明说道：“我们一直致力于 在华业务（商用航空）的扩大，为中国越来越多的全球范围航 空营运商服务，同时协助客户购买国外飞机。” Jetex内来自 中国的员工大都毕业于各大航空院校或拥有业内的从业经验。 李开明还提到，服务于中国的Jetex员工的职责之一就是在 短时间内协调必要的飞越及降落许可，现在他们已经已能在 两天内做到这一点，基本达到了目标。其他的关键性任务包 括对飞行通报客户的更新以及订票限制，同时监督在华机场 的服务。 如今，客流量也许是在中国营运商遇到的最大挑战。“目 前，北京仅有一座国际机场，无法满足客流量需求，每天允许 的私人飞机客流只有30人/次”，李开明如是说。 这的确是一个问题，因为如此多的商用飞机都以北京为飞行 目的地，而北京本地的航班根本无法满足这一需求。上海的情 况似乎要好一些，毕竟上海拥有两座国际机场。 在中国，营运商是可以使用军民两用机场的，但这需要相当 的业内经验，因为这些航线并不对国际开放。而通过对信息的 准确把握、安排恰当的领航员、以及针对特定飞行计划的手续 安排，Jetex能够解决这一问题。一般来说，中国民航局要求营 运商提前两个星期通知相关机场，但Jetex只需要提前一个星 期。领航员必须在指定机场登机，其费用按天计算，这其中包 括航班定位的时间。 在除北京和上海以外的地区，地勤服务的状况仍然不容乐 观。作为协调服务的负责方，Jetex对地勤服务的要求是极其严 格的，其必须做好相关工作，包括燃料、用水、清洁、以及给 养等。Jetex有充分的监督能力，每个月能为在中国的50多个航 班提供服务。除了北京和上海外，广州、深圳、以及三亚这类 市场的需求也极具潜力。 李开明解释说：“翻译是必须的，但你也必须懂得中国机场 的工作流程，以便使整个程序效率更高。”对大多数不具备FBO 的机场来说，乘客和机组人员必须例行通关手续，而在缺少专 业人员的情况下这会导致效率低下。 另外一个潜在的问题是，如果乘客迟到以至于损失此飞行名 额，这种情况应该如何处理。这意味着此飞行名额须被重新开 放，但机组人员也不能因此而加班。“在这种情况下，一对一 的监督是异常必要的”，李开明如此说道。 如今，Jetex正试图加大在中国包机航班的服务量。公司已 与数个中国领先的营运商签订了协议，使得Jetex的航班具备更 高的服务效率及更具竞争力的价格。Jetex还能够提供成套服 务，诸如酒店及用车预定等。 据李开明透露，中国民航局已经有意修改相关规定，以适应 商用航空的发展。李最后总结说：“在三年左右应该会有显著 的突破，正如以前需要7天才能得到降落许可，如今只需要3天 甚至更少。”
It’s been two years since Jetex Flight Support opened its new office in China to provide assistance both to the growing numbers of Chinese business aircraft operators and to visiting foreign aircraft. Most of the 10-strong team in Beijing are Chinese, but with some colleagues from Jetex headquarters in Dubai. In addition to being comfortable in Mandarin and English, the Jetex staff can help customers in Arabic, French and Russian. “We have been aiming to provide support for a more stable expansion [of business aviation] in China, with more Chinese operators now flying worldwide and more foreign-registered aircraft operating into China and East Asia,” said Kaimin Li, Jetex regional manager for Greater China and East Asia. Most of Jetex’s Chinese staff are graduates of an aviation college and/or have experience in service businesses. One of the main tasks for the Jetex staff in China is to arrange the required overflight and landing permits at short notice and they are now achieving this in as little as two working days or less, according to Li. Other key tasks include updating clients on Chinese Notams and slot restrictions, while also providing supervision of handling services offered at airports around China. Slots are probably the main challenge for operators in China these days. “Until now in Beijing there has been only one international airport and it is over capacity and is currently allowing only about 30 slots for private jets each day,” Li told AIN. Beijing is an especially severe problem because so many business aircraft want to go there and the growing locally based fleet can barely find enough capacity for its own purposes. The situation in Shanghai is somewhat better because there are at least two international airports serving the city. Around the vast country, operators also can use the joint civil/ military airports but this takes expertise and access to a local navigator because the routes for these locations are not generally published internationally. This is another set of challenges that Jetex can resolve, by getting clear information on routing, arranging a navigator and filing all the paperwork needed for a specific flight plan. Officially, the Civil
16 ABACE Convention News • March 29, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) requires two weeks’ notice to access these airports, but Jetex has been able to halve this time with the right preparation. The navigator has to join the aircraft at a designated international airport and is paid on a day rate, which could include time needed to position for the flight. Beyond Beijing and Shanghai, ground-handling facilities for business aircraft are still very limited. Jetex’s role as a service coordinator is particularly critical in this respect with the company needing to pay close attention to local arrangements for needs such as fuel, water, cleaning and catering. The company has capacity to provide this level of supervision for more than 50 flights per month in China and, in addition to the main two cities, it is now seeing strong demand for flights to Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Sanya. “Translation is certainly needed but you also need to understand how the workflow is at Chinese airports to make the whole process more efficient,” explained Li.
At the majority of airports where there is no FBO, passengers and crew need to go through standard airline channels for customs and immigration, which, without expert help, can result in complications. Another potential headache for operators is what to do if passengers are late for a departing flight to the extent that a slot is missed. This means that the slot has to be revalidated and it will also need to be established that the flight crew will not exceed their permitted duty hours. “This is where one-to-one supervision is really necessary,” said Li. Jetex is now looking to extend its role in arranging charter flights in China. The company has agreements in place with several leading Chinese operators, which, it says, allow it to offer competitive rates and to arrange flights at short notice. It can also provide concierge support for services such as booking hotels and limousines. According to Li, CAAC is now showing a willingness to revise its rules to more readily accommodate business aviation growth. “We can expect a major breakthrough within three years or so, as we have already witnessed in the past how the delay of obtaining landing permits was reduced from seven working days to three or less,” she concluded. o
Royal Jet delivers on its most challenging medevac mission The medevac unit of Abu Dhabi’s Royal Jet evacuated 31 Chinese workers injured in explosions in the Republic of Congo on March 10, transporting them on a Boeing Business Jet from Maya Maya Airport in Brazzaville, Congo’s capital, to Beijing, China in 16 hours following a brief stop in Abu Dhabi for fuel and crew change. The blasts, which government officials attributed to an electrical short circuit in an arms depot in Brazzaville, claimed more than 200 lives and injured over 1,500. Six Chinese workers out of about 140 working at a nearly construction site died in the explosions. Apart from the medevac team, led by Royal Jet medevac medical director Dr. Ibraham Soto, five Chinese medical experts dispatched to Brazzaville by the Beijing government tended to the wounded aboard the BBJ. Vice Foreign Minister Xie Hangsheng and other senior Beijing municipal officials welcomed the airplane as it arrived at Beijing airport. “This is a record achievement for Royal Jet under extremely difficult circumstances,” said Royal Jet president and CEO Shane O’Hare. “This is the first time we’ve evacuated 31 patients on one aircraft. All the injured were medically assessed to ensure that they could undergo the long-distance flight. They are now receiving medical treatment in hospitals in Beijing.” –G.P.
A H OT E L B Y TA G Located directly alongside TAG Farnborough Airport, Aviator presents the style alternative for guests of Farnborough Airshow and London Olympics 2012. w w w. av i at o r fa r n b o r o u g h . c o . u k
news clips z Metrojet Expects FAA Approval for Embraer Hong Kong-based Metrojet (Booth H326) announced that it expects the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to grant it approval in April to maintain Embraer Lineage 1000 and Legacy 600/650 jets. Embraer granted authorization to Metrojet last November to be the first service center in greater China for those models. The company already holds maintenance approvals from Hong Kong, Canada, Bermuda, Isle of Man, Taiwan and the Cayman Islands.
z TAG Charter Partnership with Lily Jet Still On
Owners and pilots group works to advance aviation
z The Jet Business To Open Shop in Asia
by Liz Moscrop
The Jet Business is here at ABACE looking for a second venue to capitalize on the success of its novel private jet “showroom” in London’s exclusive Knightsbridge district. “We are still evaluating another venue that could be in China or elsewhere in Asia, but we have had some interesting conversations at the show,” company founder Steve Varsano told AIN. Through The Jet Business, people new to jet ownership, or existing owners and operators, can source an aircraft that meets their needs in minutes, rather than Steve Varsano months, courtesy of an app the company has designed that offers graphical comparisons projected on to a huge screen the size of a Gulfstream G550 cabin. The back of the shop contains a full-size mockup of an Airbus ACJ.
It is testament to how seriously the general-aviation in China market takes its fledgling industry that key players from the China Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) took to the stage for one of the conference sessions here at the ABACE show yesterday. Angela Guo, AOPA China’s executive director and deputy secretary general, said the organization has been relieving the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) of some pressures. For example, it has
DAVID McINTOSH
TAG Aviation Asia (Booth H102) says it is still in discussions with Chinese charter operator Lily Jet over a partnership that would enable the two companies to benefit from their respective air operator certificates. New chief executive Carlos Gomez told AIN here at ABACE that TAG is concentrating on increasing its Hong Kong-based management business. “Lily Jet is also very busy. However, we are not speaking with anybody else in China and our discussions are continuing,” he said. Gomez also said TAG has experienced a significant surge in growth in Southeast Asia over the past 12 months. “We have seen a huge influx of customers and there is a limited supply of qualified staff to support them. A key issue is finding and retaining pilots–and it is difficult for foreign pilots to fly in certain areas in China,” he said. Separately, TAG Farnborough Airport in the UK is getting ready to be one of the main business aviation gateways to this summer’s London Olympic Games. According to CEO Brandon O’Reilly, the airport has received a high number of bookings for the slots that are required during the Olympic period.
asia’s show Born again anD LooKing fine The main ABACE exhibit hall could have been transported from Paris, Geneva, Singapore or Farnborough, or any other airshow in the world. A total of 157 exhibitors, nearly 25 percent of them from Asian countries (mostly from China), required an extra tent be set up on the ramp, where 28 aircraft were on display. A success? You bet!
been overseeing medical examinations for private pilots. Currently only those employed by GA companies are entitled to have an annual CAAC medical. The organization is also working on airworthiness issues for light sport aircraft. “We are working with the Experimental Aircraft Association in the U.S., and the CAAC is happy for us to assist them with creating a certification process,” said Guo. Although GA is generally perceived as being for the rich, Guo is keen to stress that AOPA
is working with state schools to bring more young people into the industry and to prepare them for careers in aviation. AOPA China board member Jason Zhang spoke about how different sectors of the corporate aviation industry can work together. “We will be speaking about the human element. It’s not just about the hardware. People are the most important resource we have,” he said. Guo is an aviation industry veteran who sees a rosy future for the entire GA market in China, albeit with several hurdles to overcome. “Ten years ago I tried to arrange a demo business jet flight here and it was so difficult. Today, look at this show. In this time, in this market, everything’s possible,” she said. o
z Bradley Opens New Hawaiian FBO at Kona Bradley Pacific Aviation has opened a new FBO at Kona International Airport in Hawaii. The 4,000-sq-ft (372-sq-m) facility is conveniently located just off the main taxiway. Bradley Pacific is part of the Ross Aviation group (Booth H413) and it operates six FBOs across Hawaii’s islands.
Aerochine Aviation (Booth P702), the independent representative for Bell Helicopter in China, Hong Kong and Macau since 2009, reports that last year was a banner one for the company’s sales in China. “In 2011, we broke all records of annual sales of Bell aircraft in China, and our order book for its various models into the second and third quarters of 2012 is looking very strong,” said Diana Chou, Aerochine’s founder and managing director. Chou, a founding member of the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA), said the company introduced the Bell 429 to China in 2010. Based in Hong Kong, Aerochine also has an office in Beijing and will soon open one in Shanghai. Bell recently appointed Reignwood as a second sales representative for China, and it has had rapid success with two helicopter sales concluded here at the ABACE show this week.
JAMES WYNBRANDT
z Aerochine Sees Bell Helicopter Sales Soar
Cessna signs Up for Citation sUpport in shanghai Shanghai Hawker Pacific (SHP) general manager Carey Matthews (center), and deputy general manager Dr. George Lu (left), signed a preliminary service center agreement here yesterday at the ABACE show with Cessna president and CEO Scott Ernest (right). The agreement is designed to pave the way for SHP’s Business Aviation Service Centre here at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport to become a Cessna authorized service facility.
22 ABACE Convention News • March 29, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
Fired By Passion, Technology Flies
Beijing: +86.10.5785.3117 Shanghai: +86.186.1615.8150 Hong Kong: +852.6623.6772