China Civil Aviation Industry, Technology, Infrastructure: News & Discussions

[ahojunk]

This will make domestic flying a bit more customer friendly.

========
No boarding pass required to board flights in China from 2017
CRIENGLISH.com | Updated: 2016-11-24 08:16

Chinese air passengers will officially be able to board planes using only their ID cards from the start of 2017.

The move was announced by the vice president of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in North Asia, also its head delegate in China, Zhang Baojian.

It's estimated that airlines could save more than 1 billion yuan ($145 million) each year by cutting back on 5000 check-in counters, related staff and paperwork as a result of the new policy.

IATA also plans to put real-time financial settlements between airline companies and sales agencies into practice in China, making it the first country in the world to do so.

There have been calls for ID card boarding for several years, and the technology to make it happen has been around for two years or so, but civil aviation regulations insist that passengers' boarding passes should be checked before getting on board the plane.

The new policy allows QR codes or ID cards to be used so long as the ID information is consistent with the ticket.

The introduction of daily settlement was held up by technical issues involving airline companies which Zhang said were not hard to resolve, and the cost was much less than the benefit.

30 percent of settlements has been made by Wechat and Alipay online payments, to increase the speed of settlement for airline companies, added Zhang.

Daily settlement is seen by Zhang as a "highlight", with some European and American airline companies finding it hard to make even weekly settlements.

IATA is making preparations to help airline companies successfully make the change to daily settlements.


********

China’s airports to ‘scrap boarding pass on domestic flights as early as next year’

Passengers to show identity cards to pass through checks to board planes, according to Chinese media reports

Jane Li
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 24 November, 2016, 2:27pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 24 November, 2016, 4:51pm

Chinese airports may adopt an ID card check-in system as early as next year, which would streamline the process of getting on a plane by skipping the need to show a boarding pass, according to Chinese media reports.

The Chinese authorities have officially approved airports to adopt the system on domestic flights, meaning passengers would be allowed go through security checks with just their ID cards, the National Business Daily quoted Zhang Baojian, the North Asia vice-president of the International Air Transport Association as saying.

The change is expected to save airlines at least 1 billion yuan (HK$1.12 billion) a year, reduce the number of check-in counters by about 5,000 and cut staffing levels, the newspaper said.

It could also ease overcrowding in some Chinese airports, according to the article.

China to spend 500b yuan on boosting civil aviation

The technology for the system was developed two years ago, but regulatory approval was only granted recently, Hou Kan, another regional official at the air transport association was quoted as saying.

Passengers will able go through airport customs or security checks by simply scanning their ID cards or have their ID information checked by airport staff to see if it matches computer records, Hou said.

Chinese airports have previously saved about 4 billion yuan a year by replacing paper air tickets with electronic tickets since 2000, Zhang said.

Amid China’s slowing economic growth, the nation’s aviation industry’s prospects appear bright, with more of the nation’s middle class choosing to fly when travelling.

China is set to surpass the United States to become the world’s largest aviation market measured by passenger numbers by 2024, the air transport association predicted earlier this year.

Long airport wait increases: average Chinese flight delay now up to 21 minutes

The number of people flying to, from and within China will almost double to 927 million annually by 2025, from 487 million last year, it said in a statement. Passenger numbers in China will reach 1.3 billion by 2035.

By comparison, passenger numbers in the US will increase to 904 million by 2025 from 657 million last year, according to the forecasts.

 

[ahojunk]

China to track all commercial flights
2016-12-02 13:16 | People's Daily Online | Editor: Li Yan

China will track and monitor all Chinese civil flights starting from Dec. 1, requiring them to report longitude, altitude and location every 15 minutes or less, according to a notice issued by China's Civil Aviation Administration. The new guidelines are intended to enhance safety monitoring and strengthen the industry's safety assurance system.

Transmission of such information to ground control is not a new policy. However, the new notice narrows the intervals of reporting and asks for more specific information.

An agreement was reached by 160 countries at the World Radiocommunication Conference in Geneva last November on the allocation of a radiofrequency spectrum for global flight-tracking. A total of 160 countries joined the agreement, promising to report locations every 15 minutes.

China plans to achieve seamless global tracking of its commercial flights before the end of 2020, and establish an aircraft tracking and monitoring system before the end of 2025.

 

[JSCh]

COMAC ARJ21 Receives First Foreign Certification
By Lena Ge, China Aviation Daily | Dec. 08, 2016

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of Congo granted Aircraft Type Certificate to COMAC ARJ21 on December 7.

China's first self-developed airliner, the COMAC ARJ21-700, has been granted a type certificate by Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of Congo, marking the first foreign validation for the regional jet and a move that will allow the Chinese-made plane to start flying in the country.

Timing for the delivery of the first ARJ21 into Congo has not been firmed, but both countries will work on pilot training as well as maintenance of the aircraft, as it prepares to take delivery of the type, COMAC said in a statement.

Congo's Ministry of Transport placed a firm order for three ARJ21-700s, including two baseline passenger aircraft and one business jet variant, at Airshow China in November 2014. It then became the first African country to purchase and operate the ARJ21 aircraft.

On December 30, 2014, the ARJ21-700 was awarded type certification by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), but has yet to receive certification from either the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration or the European Aviation Safety Agency.

The ARJ21-700, dubbed the "Flying Phoenix," entered commercial service with Chengdu Airlines in June 28, 2016. COMAC meanwhile said that the two ARJ21s delivered to regional carrier have achieved "good market performance", and that it has also received positive feedback from passengers about the jet.

So far, COMAC has won 413 orders for the ARJ21s from 19 customers.


COMAC ARJ21 Receives First Foreign Certification

 

[JSCh]

Medium-sized Civil Helicopter AC352 Makes Maiden Flight in Northeast China
CCTV+
Published on Dec 19, 2016

The medium-sized civil helicopter AC352 made its maiden flight in the sky of the city of Harbin in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province at 10:00 on Tuesday.

It performed spins and flew forward and backward at a low altitude and shifted to a flight at a higher altitude.

The AC352, jointly developed by China's Harbin Aircraft Industry Group Co. Ltd. and France's Airbus Helicopters, has a maximum take-off weight of 7.5 tons and can carry 16 people. It has a promising prospect in areas of business, emergency rescue and tourism as China's current helicopters are either too large or too small.

 

[ahojunk]

Small planes set for big takeoff
2016-12-19 13:44 | China Daily | Editor: Feng Shuang

​

Visitors at the fourth Macao Business Aviation Expo check out a small jet on display. Participating makers of business jets from the US, France, Brazil said they received numerous inquiries from potential buyers in China. (Photo/Xinhua)


Business jet makers launch new models, increase staff in China to serve a market that is expanding very fast

In China and the Asia-Pacific region, inveterate wealthy fliers are fast upgrading to small- and mid-size jets for purposes as varied as tourism and business travel.

Typically, such jets hold eight to 10 passengers.

Andy Gill, senior director of business and aviation for the Asia-Pacific at Honeywell Aerospace, a major provider of aircraft hardware and avionics systems, said: "As the economy grows, Chinese customers are starting to use business jets for travel within the region as opposed to flying out of the region.

"We think travel by business jets is going to become more prominent for short-distance flights, for purposes like business trips, tourism, and cross-sea flying. We are already seeing that trend a little bit, and we think it's going to grow."

For a long time, wealthy Chinese fliers favored buying or chartering large, long-range aircraft, mainly because they traveled a lot for business outside of the Asia-Pacific region.

Such fliers had businesses in Europe or the United States. To reach such places in exclusive comfort, they needed long-range aircraft.

As their wealth increased, and more successful people turned wealthy, the tribe's tastes, preferences and requirements, too, have evolved.

Currently, there are about 300 business jets in China. Compared to the West, the business jet market in China is small and underdeveloped. But China is seeing strong growth in the sector, a contrast to the relatively sluggish growth in mature markets.

Last year, China saw 28 percent growth in people looking to buy or replace their business jets. In the Asia-Pacific region, the growth rate was around 14 percent, according to Honeywell Aerospace data.

"If you compare with the US, where there are nearly 20,000 business jets, China has three to four times the US population, so there is a huge opportunity for the business jet market to grow in China. I'm very confident about the growth potential," Gill said.

"Obviously, the business aviation sector is still in its infancy in China. I think there's still a lot of learning going on in the industry about the benefits and positive impact of business aviation. For example, the investment in the new technology of business jets will drive the growth for many related areas."

Signs to that effect are appearing already. For instance, Jiangsu Jet Co Ltd, a Nanjing, Jiangsu province-based small aircraft-operator, started flying a new 15-seat airplane this summer.

The business jet costs $16 million. Operating expenses would entail 35,000 yuan ($5,090) for every flying hour of a chartered flight, including wages for pilots, flight attendants and other related bills.

"We have seen a few chartered flights in recent months, mostly for domestic travel. We arrange everything for passengers. I expect to see more people choosing to fly in business jets," said Pei Shanfeng, an engineer for Jiangsu Jet Co Ltd.

Pei's expectation is based on the fact that those who prefer exclusive jets are often entrepreneurs, heads of states, top government officials and high net-worth individuals. For the growing number of such fliers, business jets become essential for business trips where time is at a premium.

To meet the needs of such potential customers, French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation SA launched a new jet model, the Falcon 8X, two months ago.

The Falcon 8X is the quietest in its class. It also offers the longest range－for instance, it can fly from Beijing to Los Angeles－and the longest cabin among the Falcon series.

Dassault said Falcon 8X is expected to get certification from China shortly. In coming months, the new aircraft will likely be on track for deliveries to Chinese operators.

"We are very confident about the growth potential of the China market. It's one of our key markets, and we have added more staff to our team in China. For the Falcon 7X, China is our second-largest market, in terms of demand," said Kathy Liu, general manager of Dassault China.

This year, Honeywell had projected global deliveries of about 650 to 675 business jets worth around $18 billion. The projected volume was a low- to mid-single-digit percentage decline year-on-year, largely due to slower order rates for mature models and stabilization in some types of deliveries, according to its report.

The company said aircraft manufacturers typically make many models, and are always looking for niche markets for their new offerings of business jets.

The Asia-Pacific region has about 700 business jets. The market is showing an increasing optimism, despite the ongoing Chinese austerity measures. In the next five years, the region could garner up to 6 percent share of the global demand for new jets. And it is the fastest-growing region, the report said.

Currently, business jets share the same airports with other commercial airplanes in China, but the situation is likely to change for the better.

"As the business aviation sector grows, specific general aviation airports will come up. They will offer access to business jets or provide better access to business jets. In Europe and the US, major cities typically have their own dedicated business airports," Gill said.


********

IIRC, China is planning to build 500 small airports all over the country, hence a big market for small planes.
.

 

[Daniel808]

CFM certificates C919 engine ahead of first flight

• 
  
  

• 21 DECEMBER, 2016
  
• SOURCE: FLIGHTGLOBAL PRO

CFM International has certificated the integrated propulsion system (IPS) for the Leap-1C with the European Aviation Safety Agency and the US Federal Aviation Administration to clear one of the key regulatory hurdles for launching the Comac C919 airliner into commercial service.

Consisting of the engine, nacelle and thrust reverser, the Leap-1C IPS marks the third version of CFM’s latest single-aisle engine family to achieve certification. The Airbus A320neo, powered by the Leap-1A and the rival Pratt & Whitney PW1100G, entered service earlier this year. CFM also received certification for the Leap-1B for the Boeing 737 Max, which remains in development.

“It has been an incredible year for the LEAP program, culminating in the certification of the third model in this engine family,” says Allen Paxson, executive vice-president for CFM.

Comac launched the Leap engine development programme in 2009, with an original entry into service target of 2016. Delays have shifted first delivery to Chinese customers back two years. Comac plans to begin flying the first C919 test aircraft by the end of this year.

The certification milestone comes exactly seven years after Comac announced the selection of the Leap-1C engine for the 130-200 seat airline family.

The Leap-1C shares identical turbomachinery with the Leap-1A engine for the A320neo, differing only in the items that interface with components on the C919 airframe.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/a...tes-c919-engine-ahead-of-first-flight-432656/

Congratulations

 

[JSCh]

An aviation city to rival U.S. giants
2016-12-22 09:14 Shanghai Daily

Shanghai's Pudong will develop its airport area and the manufacturing base for China's home-developed plane — the C919 — into an "aviation city" in east Shanghai by 2020, officials said yesterday.

The "aviation city," aimed at being on a par with Atlanta and Seattle, will include the Pudong airport traffic hub, aircraft design and production centers as well as other aviation-related industries.

Construction will start initially on Shanghai East Station near the airport, a traffic hub incorporating Metro and high-speed rail train lines for the aviation city.

The station will include 22 rail lines and 10 platforms, and provide a connection line between Shanghai's two airports.

The towns near the airport will develop aviation-related industries for building the aviation city, said Wang Chao, Party secretary of Zhuqiao Town in Pudong.

Zhuqiao would mainly develop the aircraft manufacturing and aviation logistic industries, Wang said. The assembly line for China's first domestically developed C919 single-aisle passenger aircraft has been based in the town.

Chuansha Town will offer business facilities and Huinan Town will focus on aviation training.

 

[ahojunk]

New hangar of Xiamen Airlines put into use
2016-12-21 09:40 | Xinhua | Editor:Xu Shanshan

The new hangar of Xiamen Airlines in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province covers an area of around 1.5 hectares. It was put into use here on Tuesday. Xiamen Airlines has been operating for 32 years and for the past three years, it has received the highest honor for service and won the China Quality Award in 2016.

Dec. 20, 2016. The new hangar of Xiamen Airlines in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province. (Photo: Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

Dec. 20, 2016. An airplane passing by the new hangar of Xiamen Airlines in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province.
(Photo: Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

Dec. 20, 2016. The interior of the new hangar of Xiamen Airlines in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province.
(Photo: Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

Dec. 20, 2016. A Boeing 787 aircraft parks inside the new hangar of Xiamen Airlines in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province.
(Photo: Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

 

[JSCh]

Video: COMAC C919 Starts Ground Taxi Tests
By Lena Ge, China Aviation Daily | Dec. 29, 2016

The COMAC C919 narrow-body passenger jet moved under its own power for the first time on December 28, initiating the last series of tests before the C919's maiden flight.

The low-speed taxi trials, spotted in a 10-second video on social media, are being carried out from company's facility in Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

​

The COMAC C919 narrow-body passenger jet completed first ground taxi test on December 28. Photo by Sina Weibo user @zhangmx969

The C919 aircraft moved slowly for a few movements during the clip before stopping.

The China-made C919 is scheduled to make its first flight in the first half of 2017.

CFM International, the largest jet engine manufacturer worldwide as well as the exclusive engine supplier for the C919 prototype, delivered the first C919 engines (CFM Leap 1C) last July but not run for the initial time until Nov. 9 of this year.

Besides, CFM LEAP-1C integrated propulsion system has been awarded Type Certificates by both the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), paving the way for entry into commercial service on the COMAC C919 aircraft.

The COMAC C919 narrow-body passenger jet completed first ground taxi test on December 28. Photo by Sina Weibo user @zhangmx969

Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines will become the first customer to take delivery of the C919, the Chinese airframer said during this year's Zhuhai airshow.

So far, COMAC has received 570 orders for the C919 from 23 customers, including Air China and China Southern Airlines.



--> http://www.chinaaviationdaily.com/news/59/59487.html

 

[ahojunk]

C919 being prepped for maiden flight
2017-01-05 16:59 | chinadaily.com.cn | Editor: Feng Shuang

A model of the China-made C919 passenger airliner is seen at the 8th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong province, Nov 15, 2010. (Photo/Xinhua)


The C919, China's first self-made passenger jet airliner, has been moved from its assembly base to the test flight center, an indication that the development of the plane has reached a new phase, according to industry sources.

The 168-seat passenger jet, which is being manufactured in Shanghai by the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, or COMAC, has already undergone a series of tests after rolling off the assembly lines in November 2015.

According to Wenhui Daily, COMAC is now making preparations for the plane's maiden flight, which is expected to take place in early 2017.

During the Zhuhai Air Show in November 2016, Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines confirmed that it will become the first company to receive a C919 model. To date, COMAC has received a total of 570 orders for the C919.


********

Look forward to the maiden flight, hopefully very soon.
And more orders will come.
.

 

[ahojunk]

Now this report says the maiden flight is in Feb, but yet to be confirmed.
It's good news.

========
C919 expected to experience maiden flight in early 2017
By Sun Wenyu (People's Daily Online) 19:58, January 06, 2017

China's first homegrown jumbo jet, the C919, is expected to have its maiden flight in the first quarter of 2017, according to Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC), the manufacturer of the aircraft. The C919 was moved to the test flight center on Dec. 25, 2016.

The plane has gone through a series of tests after rolling off the assembly line in November 2015, including a systems integration test, static trials and onboard tests. Now the aircraft is ready for ground tests. An industry source said the plane's maiden flight is scheduled for February. However, the exact date has not yet been confirmed.

By now, the number of orders for the C919 has reached 570. During the Zhuhai Air Show last November, Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines became the first company to receive the C919 model after signing a cooperative framework agreement with COMAC. China's SPDB Financial Leasing and CITIC Financial Leasing have respectively ordered 20 and 36 of the aircraft.


********

After the maiden flight, hopefully things will move quickly.
However, a plane is a complicated piece of equipment.
If more time is needed, so be it.
.

 

[ahojunk]

A video showing the workers behind C919.

Heroes behind China's domestically-produced C919 passenger jet

CGTN

Published on Jan 6, 2017

As China's aviation market continues its explosive growth, it has already become the world's second largest air travel market behind the United States. China's domestically-produced C919 passenger aircraft is expected to enter service in 2017, and in today's "Our Story," we visit the team working on the project.

 

[TaiShang]

After the maiden flight, hopefully things will move quickly.
However, a plane is a complicated piece of equipment.
If more time is needed, so be it.

I agree. Overdoing safety and quality is preferable over underdoing them. Especially given the fact that this is China's first genuine effort to join the exclusive club of civilian mid and long range passenger jet makers.

This kind of bad publicity is less bearable for China than it would be for US, given the US control over global news and discourse making:

Dreamliner-Boeing 787 (Wikipedia):

"The aircraft has suffered from several in-service problems, including fires on board related to its lithium-ion batteries. These systems were reviewed by both the FAA and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. The FAA issued a directive in January 2013 that grounded all 787s in the US and other civil aviation authorities followed suit. After Boeing completed tests on a revised battery design, the FAA approved the revised design and lifted the grounding in April 2013; the 787 returned to passenger service later that month."

Just imagine the potential negative publicity and name-calling/opinion shaping even before official investigation is carried out in the event that there would be a problem.

 

[ahojunk]

Airbus China site to deliver first A330 in 2017
2017-01-16 15:36 | Xinhua | Editor: Gu Liping

Airbus is expected to deliver its first A330 aircraft in September 2017 from its completion and delivery center in north China's Tianjin, said Airbus China on Monday.

According to Airbus China, by 2019, the Airbus China site will reach stable production capacity, completing and delivering two A330 wide-body aircraft per month.

"The cabin of the A330 is more complicated than the single-aisle aircraft due to the massive workload and difficulty," said Francois Mery,COO with Airbus Commercial Aircraft China, adding that the completion and delivery center will be responsible for cabin installation, painting and flight tests of the A330.

On March 2, 2016, construction on the Airbus China A330 completion and delivery center started in Tianjin, where A330 aircraft will be completed and delivered to Chinese clients.

It is Airbus' first completion and delivery center for wide-body aircraft outside Europe. The first A330 aircraft is expected to be delivered from the center in 2017.

To date, the center has recruited 160 staff, about sixty percent of its total hiring plan.

Airbus delivered 153 aircraft to Chinese operators in 2016, its seventh consecutive year of more than 100 deliveries.

The deliveries included 141 aircraft in its single-aisle A320 family and 12 of its A330 family.

According to Airbus China, there are 1,383 Airbus aircraft in service in Chinese mainland, about half of the total civil aircraft with more than 100 seats on the Chinese mainland.

A joint venture between Airbus and Chinese partners in Tianjin has delivered more than 300 A320 aircraft since it went into operation in 2008.

 

[ahojunk]

New air route to link Fuzhou, New York
2017-01-31 12:45 Xinhua Editor: Gu Liping

China's Xiamen Airlines will launch a new direct route linking Fuzhou, capital city of east China's Fujian Province, and New York City on Feb. 15.

The round-trip flights will be conducted by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. It will depart from Fuzhou at 8:45 a.m. Beijing time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Flight depart New York at 12:25 p.m. local time.

In addition, Egyptian airline Air Leisure has opened a weekly flight starting from Jan. 5 between Fuzhou and Egyptian capital Cairo as well as Aswan City. The first direct air route linking Fujian Province with Africa is operating on every Thursday until the end of April.

The two routes are launched to offer convenience for people to visit their hometowns in Fujian Province and for those traveling to Africa around the Spring Festival, which falls on Jan. 28 this year.

.