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

[JSCh]

China's first airplane developed by private firm makes maiden flight
Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-19 21:34:02|Editor: ZX


NANCHANG, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's first aircraft independently developed by a private company, the Guanyi GA20, made a successful maiden flight in east China's Jiangxi Province on Wednesday.

The GA20 is a four-seater, general purpose, single propeller-driven aircraft developed by Guanyi General Aviation, a private company based in Shanghai.

During the 26-minute maiden flight, the plane ascended to a height of about 300 meters, made a number of routine tests, before landing smoothly at an airport in Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi.

With an overall length of 8.1 meters and a wingspan of 9.4 meters, the plane is powered by a Lycoming O-320 engine and equipped with a Garmin aviation system. It is designed for multiple purposes such as aviation training, private aviation and tourism.

Guanyi began to develop the aircraft in 2014 and has settled its general aviation industrial base in the Nanchang High-tech Zone. It plans an annual output of 200 by 2022.

After the successful maiden flight, Guanyi plans to produce five more GA20s. The company is also developing self-driving cargo aircraft and twin-engine planes.

China's First Private General-Purpose Plane Completes Technical Flight
DOU SHICONG
DATE : MAR 12 2019/SOURCE : YICAI

China's First Private General-Purpose Plane Completes Technical Flight​

(Yicai Global) March 12 -- The GA20, China's first general-purpose aircraft independently researched and developed by a private company, has completed its safety flight testing.

The airplane is expected to obtain certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China and start commercialization in 2020, realizing mass production by 2021 after the successful in-air safety checks at Hengdian Airport in China's southeastern Zhejiang province.

The GA20 was developed and produced by Shanghai-based Guanyi General Aviation, which concluded stall, stability and maneuverability tests in yesterday's technical flight, Chinese state media The Paper reported.

The purpose of such tests is to gain data to verify an airplane's safety, stability and manipulability. It is thus an indispensable phase in aircraft development.

The project to develop the plane started in 2015. A single-engine four-seat fixed-wing craft, the GA20 is China's first airplane produced by a private enterprise that meets international general aviation standards. Guanyi will produce five GA20s for flight testing before obtaining certification for the model, to complete 200 to 300 more safety checks.

The plane will mainly find use in flight training, private flights and travel, Guanyi's Chairman Zhu Songhua said, adding the company will produce 20 GA20s for commercial use after obtaining certification next year, per Guanyi's plan, with 60 to made in 2021 and over 100 in 2022.

The company is also developing three other aircraft models, Zhu said. It will be able to debut a new one every two to three years to meet market demand after the GA20 secures certification.

 

[JSCh]

Chinese-developed AC312E helicopter passes stability flight test
Source: Xinhua| 2018-08-02 20:13:51|Editor: ZX


BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese-developed AC312E light civilian helicopter has passed its stability flight test, a key performance test for helicopters, its developer announced Thursday.

The model has undertaken multiple flight tests totalling 18 hours, including those for stability and cooling of its propulsion system, at a civil airport in Jiamusi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, according to Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

It represents a major step for AC312E on its validation flight test journey as a new helicopter model, the AVIC said.

The AC312E, a light twin-engine helicopter, is being developed by AVIC Hafei in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang.

The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft is 4.25 tonnes, with a maximum payload of 1.7 tonnes. It can carry nine passengers.

The AC312E series may be extended to include four specialist models for emergency medical services, search and rescue, business transport, and law enforcement, according to its developer.

AVIC is among the world's leading helicopter manufacturers with more than 50 models in 12 series and annual production of more than 300 aircraft.

AC312E Nears to Entry into Service
source：AVIC publish date：2019-03-20

After 2-week joint effort, CAAC flight test pilots has completed 17.5-hour airworthiness check flight with Avicopter AC312E recently, marking a step further to first delivery.

AC312E is a modernized light twin-engine helicopter based on AC312A, with reliable and powerful Safran Arriel 2H engine and advanced Collins avionics. Redesigned cabin offers flexible and fast reconfiguration to adapt to different missions.

In addition to that, AC312E provides both hot-and-high performance and low-altitude cruise capability, making it suitable for EMS, off-shore and general transportation, search and rescue, law enforcement and VIP charter services.

On Mar. 2nd, the CAAC flight test campaign started at JianSanjiang airport, Heilongjiang. Supervised by Shenyang arm of CAAC, test pilots’ check list includes take-off, landing, climbing with single or double engines, cruise, instrumentation stability, avionics, cockpit evaluation, etc.

The completion of the flight test pushes AC312E a giant leap to CAAC Type Certificate and Production Certification, which are essential before delivery.


http://www.avic.com/en/media/news/businessactivities/668831.shtml

 

[Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA]

COMAC ARJ21 aircraft has accumulated safe flight over 10,000 hours
International Airport Information Network 2019-04-03 17:30:44
https://www.toutiao.com/a6675598280279196174/

Recently, Chengdu Airlines began to perform flights in the summer and autumn of 2019, and the domestic aircraft ARJ21 added four new routes. At this point, the ARJ21 aircraft has accumulated more than 10,000 safe flights, and 11 aircraft have been put into operation, transporting nearly 320,000 passengers.

According to Chengdu Airlines, the large-scale demonstration operator of ARJ21 aircraft, since the first flight of the ARJ21 aircraft, it has opened routes from Chengdu to Changsha, Hefei, Shangrao, Shanghai, Wenzhou, Zhoushan, Jinan and Harbin. The newly added four ARJ21 flight routes are Changsha-Jinan-Manzhouli, Changsha-Weihai-Manzhouli, Manzhouli-Wulhuangchi-Harbin, Chengdu-Guiyang-Zhangzhou. The ARJ21 aircraft has a further increase in access to the city.

The performance indicators of the ARJ21 aircraft have been continuously optimized, and the indicators such as flight volume, flight normal rate, and flight revenue level have continued to improve, and significant progress has been made in demonstrating large-scale operations. At present, Chengdu Airlines has received a total of 11 ARJ21 aircraft into operation, forming a cross-regional dry-branch route network. By the end of March 2019, the cumulative safe flight exceeded 10,000 hours, transporting nearly 320,000 passengers. In this process, Chengdu Airlines has realized an accelerated transition from small airlines to medium-sized airlines, with a total fleet size of 43 aircraft.
国产飞机ARJ21已累积安全飞行超10000小时
国际空港信息网 2019-04-03 17:30:44
https://www.toutiao.com/a6675598280279196174/

近日，成都航空公司开始执行2019年夏秋季航班，国产飞机ARJ21新增4条航线。至此ARJ21飞机已累计安全飞行超10000小时，投入运营11架，运送旅客近32万人次。

据ARJ21飞机的规模化示范运营商成都航空公司介绍，自ARJ21飞机首航以来，先后开通了成都至长沙、合肥、上饶、上海、温州、舟山、济南、哈尔滨等20多个城市的航线。新增的4条ARJ21执飞航线，分别是长沙—济南—满洲里、长沙—威海—满洲里、满洲里—五大连池—哈尔滨、成都—贵阳—衢州。ARJ21飞机通达城市进一步大幅度增加。

ARJ21飞机各项性能指标不断优化，航班量、航班正常率、航班收益水平等指标持续提升，示范规模化运营取得重要进展。目前成都航空共接收11架ARJ21飞机投入运营，形成了跨区域的干支航线网络，截至2019年3月底，累计安全飞行超10000小时，运送旅客近32万人次。成都航空在此过程中实现了由小型航空公司向中型航空公司的加速转变，机队总规模达到43架。

 

[JSCh]

Ethiopian Airlines considers adding China's C919 planes to fleet
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 19:31:04|Editor: Xiaoxia

ADDIS ABABA, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Airlines (ET) Group CEO Tewolde Gebremariam on Thursday said the air carrier is considering adding China's C919 passenger planes to its aircraft fleet.

Speaking to Xinhua, Gebremariam said ET has formed a joint committee with Chinese counterparts to follow up the progress of C919 passenger planes.

"ET's engineers are working with COMAC engineers to evaluate the suitability of C919 passenger planes. ET is currently considering adding the C919 planes to its aircraft fleet when the airplanes are ready for sales," said Gebremariam.

The Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) is China's major commercial aircraft developer.

Gebremariam also told Xinhua, ET is working with Chinese government to make Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa a hub for Chinese aviation technology in Africa.

"ET is working with Chinese government to make Addis Ababa an aviation hub between China and Africa. Addis Ababa will not only be a transfer point for air traffic and cargo, but also a hub for growth of Chinese aviation technology in Africa," he further said.

Ethiopian Airlines already buys a variety of goods from China including aircraft related machinery and furniture.

Ethiopian Airlines currently operates daily passenger flights from Addis Ababa to Guangzhou and Beijing, and thrice-weekly passenger flights to Chengdu, as well as daily passenger and cargo flights to Hong Kong and Shanghai.

The C919, China's first self-developed trunk jetliner, conducted a successful maiden flight on May 5, 2017, at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

 

[Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA]

CHINA COMAC ARJ21 Business Jets (CBJ) ready for your service

http://p1.pstatp.com/large/pgc-image/3f445466305740038229d9a86e817bf8

漂亮！国产ARJ21公务机内饰首次曝光
文汇客户端 2019-04-16 10:06:06

第八届亚洲公务航空大会及展览会今天在上海虹桥国际机场公务机基地拉开帷幕。中国商飞公司首次携ARJ21飞机系列化产品之一，一架1:10比例的CBJ公务机剖开式模型参加本届航展，全面展示公司发展建设和CBJ公务机研制情况。

CBJ公务机是一款极具市场竞争力的产品，具有“高端、舒适”的特点。CBJ公务机拥有超越同级机型更宽敞的客舱空间，可满足12-29座的座位布局，能够根据客户个性化需求，灵活布置VIP卧室、休息区、会议区、会客区、就餐区等相对独立的功能区间。客舱配备舒适可倾斜、330度旋转的21英寸座椅，拥有全球顶尖的内饰和先进的交互式娱乐系统，低至55分贝的噪声抑制设计将为客户营造静谧的客舱环境。CBJ公务机还具有出色的高原高温性能、复杂航线越障能力及抗大侧风性能，典型巡航速度马赫数0.78，航程5500千米。

中国商飞公司致力于为全球公务机客户提供定制化的改装和一揽子运营解决方案，与优秀战略合作伙伴共同为客户提供CBJ公务机改装设计、运行支持和客服保障等全寿命周期贴心服务。

当前，ARJ21新支线客机航线运行平稳，已安全运营超10000小时，载客超过32万人次，运营商数量逐步增加。2018年以来，中国商飞公司围绕CBJ公务机，与多家潜在客户进行交流，就购机及后续运营模式、支持方案等事宜进行深入洽谈。中国商飞公司将始终坚持“以客户为中心”，不断完善客户服务体系，自强不息，苦练内功，持续提升服务支持与运行保障能力。

本届公务机展期间，中国商飞公司还将围绕飞机产品、项目进展、客服建设等方面介绍公司发展建设、CBJ公务机研制及市场开发情况，与意向客户积极对接，持续改进CBJ公务机产品，进一步拓展公务机市场。



作者：张晓鸣编辑：顾一琼责任编辑：钮怿

*文汇独家稿件，转载请注明出处。

 

[JSCh]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1087545085892354048

CGTN✔@CGTNOfficial
First test plane lands successfully at Beijing Daxing International Airport at 10:10 a.m. BJT; Beijing's new airport is set to open later this year (image via CAAC)
62
10:58 AM - Jan 22, 2019

Beijing Daxing International Airport welcomes its first plane
(People's Daily) 14:29, January 22, 2019

Beijing Daxing International Airport welcomed its first plane on Tuesday, which indicates that the construction of the new airport will be soon examined.

The examination of the airport started on Tuesday and will end on March 15, lasting two months. The examination work includes four runways, six instrument landing systems, and seven sets of lights, among others. The completion of the examination work indicates that the airport could begin operation soon.

The calibration console adopted in this flight check is with independent intellectual property right in China, which has powerful functions and reliable performance.

Xiong Jie, the director at the Flight Inspection Center for CAAC, said that there were very few airports like the Daxing International Airport in the world with four high-grade runways constructed and put into check and use at the same time.

The construction of the airport will be completed on June 30 and will be open for air traffic before September 30 as planned.

New Beijing airport completes four test flights
By Zou Shuo | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-05-13 09:34

Four passenger planes that took part in Monday's trial flights. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Beijing's new airport saw four passenger planes completing test flights Monday morning.

Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines respectively dispatched flagship models Boeing 747-8, Airbus 350-900 and A380. Meanwhile, Xiamen Airlines sent a Boeing 787-9 to take part in the test flights.

At 9 am, the A380 from China Southern Airlines made the first flight, taking off from Beijing Capital International Airport in the northeastern part of the city. At 9:30 am, the plane landed smoothly on the western runway at Beijing Daxing International Airport.

Xiamen Airlines' Boeing 787-9 finished the last of the four flights, touching down at the new airport at around 9:46 am.

Beijing Daxing International Airport is scheduled to be completed June 30 and open Sept 30. It aims to meet the country's surging air service demands and relieve the flight pressure at Beijing Capital International Airport.

The new airport, located at the junction of Beijing's Daxing district and Langfang, a city in neighboring Hebei province, is expected to handle 45 million passengers annually by 2021 and 72 million by 2025.

 

[JSCh]

China, EU sign milestone agreements on civil aviation cooperation
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-21 06:20:36|Editor: Liangyu

Representatives from China and the European Union shake hands after signing agreements on civil aviation cooperation in Brussels, Belgium, on May 20, 2019. China and the European Commission on Monday signed two milestone agreements on civil aviation, marking an important step to implement the consensuses reached by leaders from both sides during the China-EU Summit held last month. (Xinhua/European Union)

BRUSSELS, May 20 (Xinhua) -- China and the European Commission on Monday signed two milestone agreements on civil aviation, marking an important step to implement the consensuses reached by leaders from both sides during the China-EU Summit held last month.

The two agreements are Agreement on Civil Aviation Safety between China and the European Union (EU) and Agreement between China and the EU on Certain Aspects of Air Services.

Hailing the two aviation agreements as "a first big step", European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: "In an increasingly unsettled world, Europe's partnership with China is more important than ever before."

"The EU firmly believes that nations working together makes the world a stronger, safer and more prosperous place for all," Juncker said in a statement.

The two agreements "will create jobs, boost growth and bring our continents and peoples closer together. Today's agreements show the potential of our partnership (with China) and we should continue on this path of cooperation," he said.

Feng Zhenglin, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), said the two agreements will further promote cooperation between China and Europe in civil aviation fields while enriching the content of China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.

"Signing of the first agreement and its airworthiness certification annex is a response to the call for aviation industry development in both China and Europe, and is conducive to the two-way exchanges of civil aviation products developed and manufactured by both sides," Feng said ahead of the signing ceremony.

"The signing of the second one will remove the contradiction between the bilateral air services agreements signed by China and EU member states and EU law, and will provide legal certainty for the operation of air carriers from both sides," said Feng.

"The two agreements will for sure bring China-EU civil aviation cooperation to a new stage and a new high," he added.

"The two agreements ... are highly professional and reflect the broadness and depth of the two sides' cooperation. Both China and the EU stand for multilateralism and want to build an open world. Strengthening cooperation in the field of civil aviation is a strong example of walking the talk," Ambassador Zhang Ming, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU who also attended the ceremony, said in a statement.

The main objective of the first agreement is to support worldwide trade in aircraft and related products, the EU said in the statement.

"This agreement will remove the unnecessary duplication of evaluation and certification activities for aeronautical products by the civil aviation authorities, and therefore reduce costs for the aviation sector. The agreement will also promote cooperation between the EU and China towards a high level of civil aviation safety and environmental compatibility," it said.

The second agreement marks China's recognition of the principle of EU designation, whereby all EU airlines will be able to fly to China from any EU member state with a bilateral air services agreement with China under which unused traffic rights are available, read the statement.

Up until now, only airlines owned and controlled by a given member state or its nationals could fly between that member state and China. The conclusion of a horizontal agreement will thereby bring bilateral air services agreements between China and EU member states into conformity with EU law -- a renewed legal certainty which will be beneficial to airlines on both sides, it said.

 

[JSCh]

Satellite system to track planes in real time
By ZHAO LEI | China Daily | Updated: 2019-05-23 02:57

Sun Jiadong, former chief designer of the Beidou navigation system, tries out a device combining Beidou and augmented reality technologies at an exhibition in Beijing on Wednesday. WANG ZHUANGFEI / CHINA DAILY

Chinese researchers are developing a satellite-based monitoring system capable of tracking and reporting the location of airliners in flight in nearly real time, according to project leaders.

Sky Mirror, designed by China Electronics Technology Group Corp's 54th Research Institute in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province, will enable air traffic controllers to avoid another tragedy similar to that involving Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in which ground control lost the tracking of the jetliner due to suspected human factors, and will also help rescuers quickly and accurately locate airliners in distress.

With these advantages, the system will extensively improve civil aviation industry safety around the world, said Wei Haitao, deputy head of the institute's satellite navigation operation.

MH370, which carried 239 passengers and crew, disappeared from radar screens during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. "After the MH370 incident, the need for time-sensitive air traffic surveillance has rapidly increased," he said.

"We were asked by our civil aviation authorities to design and construct a space-based network that can monitor and track the real-time location and flight trajectory of civil airliner."

Currently, air traffic controllers mainly rely on ground surveillance radar to track flights, but this approach is subject to many restrictions such as the radars' detection range and the absence of such equipment on the sea.

The improved method, involving the use of a satellite-enabled device called automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast, or ADS-B, in which a plane obtains its position via satellite navigation and periodically broadcasts the information to ground control, also requires a certain number of ground facilities along the flight route.

In contrast, Sky Mirror will consist of a number of satellites placed in low-Earth orbit and will receive signals emitted by the ADS-B from airborne airliners, no matter where they are, and then transfer the location to ground control, Wei explained.

He said new airliners to be delivered to domestic carriers in the future will all be equipped with ADS-B capable of receiving navigation and positioning signals from China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System, and will benefit from Beidou's high-accuracy services.

Ye Hongjun, project manager of Sky Mirror, said the system's first satellite will soon be launched on a Long March 11 carrier rocket to perform a two-year technological demonstration. He added that eight such satellites are scheduled for launching in 2021 to form a regional system covering the Asia-Pacific region and will then offer commercial services to airlines.

China is the second nation, after the United States, that is developing and building a space-based air traffic surveillance network. The researchers made the remarks on the sidelines of the 10th China Satellite Navigation Conference which opened in Beijing on Wednesday.

 

[JSCh]

Recently, for MA700 aircraft development, batch 10001 static test aircraft front and mid-fuselage rolled off the line.

 

[JSCh]

From Genghi Khan Airlines website,

内蒙古草原再添“雄鹰”
天骄航空首航在即
喜迎第二架ARJ21飞机

​

6月4日，一架带有“内蒙古银行号”涂装的国产商用喷气客机ARJ21平稳降落呼和浩特白塔国际机场，正式加入天骄航空机队。这是天骄航空接收的第二架飞机，今年机队规模将达到四架。第十三届全国政协人口资源环境委员会副主任任亚平、自治区政协常委杨茂盛、交投集团董事长郑俊、内蒙古银行党委副书记王浩志、天骄航空董事长郝玉涛等到停机坪迎接接机小组的归来。

这架ARJ21飞机与天骄航空首架ARJ21飞机均为两舱布局，8个超级经济舱，70个经济舱，每一个座椅均配备了USB充电口，乘坐舒适度极好。ARJ21飞机具有良好的高温、高寒、高原性能，特别适应我国中西部和北部地区机场起降条件和复杂航路越障要求。

天骄航空于2018年3月经中国民用航空局批准筹建，2019年1月22日获颁公共航空运输企业经营许可证。目前，天骄航空正在运行合格审定阶段，正在进行验证试飞，预计7月初实现首航。天骄航空运营初期将着重拓展自治区内航线网络，增加航班密度，实现“盟市—首府”的航空公交化，提高区内居民及游客的出行效率。

作为全国首家纯国产喷气客机机队运营商，天骄航空肩负着探索国产喷气客机市场化、产业化发展新模式的使命。2019年1月24日，天骄航空与成都航空签署了战略合作协议，在航空运输市场拓展、运行支持、运营信息共享等方面达成了共识，将携手加强安全体系的建设、优化航线网络布局、加强专业技术团队训练投入，探索出一条适合ARJ21运营模式和支线航空发展的新路径。天骄航空还将于中国商飞公司密切合作，以航空运输业为核心，打造相关服务产业，携手助推内蒙古地区航空产业发展。

Summary:

Genghis Khan airlines just received its second ARJ21.
Genghis Khan airlines operational certification process by Civil Aviation Administration of China is in progress, first operational flight expected on July.

 

[JSCh]

22:46, 04-Jun-2019
CR929: China and Russia's joint efforts on airliners
By Gong Zhe

It's a Boeing or an Airbus. The two companies have been dominating the airliner market since the 1990s, with about 90 percent of shares.

And now rivals from China and Russia are trying to become the third player.

After China's COMAC C919 and Russia's UAC MC-21, the two countries have teamed up to build CR929, a wide-body aimed to rival Boeing 787 and Airbus A330.

This plane is one of the largest projects between the two countries in the 21st century.

The project was announced back in 2017, and a model was displayed to the public during the 2018 Zhuhai Airshow.

The joint venture is 50:50 between the two countries and Russians will build a new engine named PD-35 for the plane.

According to UEC, the engine can rival U.S. and British models of the next generation.

This is a long project that's not going to finish in a few years. "The first flight of the aircraft is scheduled for 2025-28," Viktor Kladov, Rostec's director for international cooperation and regional policy, told China Daily.

According to data collected by U.S. aerospace magazine "Aviation Week & Space Technology", the CR929 will be larger than Airbus A330 and requires larger engine thrust to push it up.

It also reported the length and wingspan of the plane will be more than 63 meters.

Three types of CR929 will be produced, with capacity ranging from 250 to 440 people.

With all that said, the plane was still in its design phase as of late 2018. Each of the specifications is subject to change.

 

[JSCh]

Second operator of ARJ21 to start operation in July
Yang Jian 22:05 UTC+8, 2019-06-05

The first and second ARJ21s of the Genghis Khan Airlines which will start commercial operation early next month

China-developed regional jet, the ARJ21, will begin commercial operation with its second operator, Genghis Khan Airlines, early next month.

The newly established carrier, which is based in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, started flight tests with its first ARJ21 on Tuesday night between Hohhot Baita International Airport and Ulanhot.

The Inner Mongolian carrier, approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in March 2018, plans to operate with a wholly domestically developed fleet.

It took delivery of its first ARJ21 in Shanghai in February and received the second jet on Tuesday.

The airline plans to purchase a total of 25 ARJ21s within five years and will begin receiving the C919, China's first home-developed narrow-body jet, after that.

The carrier is expected to not only improve transportation in Inner Mongolia but also help explore the marketing and industrial development of the domestically developed jet.

The ARJ21 regional jet, with eight premier and 70 economy-class seats, is suitable for the high terrain of Inner Mongolia. A seven-hour highway drive within the region, for instance, can be shortened to roughly an hour by air.

Currently, the jet’s sole operator, Chengdu Airlines, operates 11 ARJ21s to 20 Chinese cities. The ARJ21 fleet has transported some 270,000 passengers since it started commercial operation in June 2016.

The first and second ARJ21s of Genghis Khan Airlines at the Hohhot Baita International Airport

​

A flight attendant welcomes passengers.

Urumqi Air will become the third operator of the ARJ21.

The carrier, which is based in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, said the aircraft is suitable for the low temperatures and elevated terrain of northwest China.

The multiple operators will help to further improve the design of the jet, according to the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, developer of the ARJ21 and C919.

Before the ARJ21 test flight, Genghis Khan Airlines also carried out two simulated emergency evacuations: one that a lithium battery was on fire, which occurred on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner; second, an engine failure during takeoff.

More than 100 ARJ21s will be delivered in the next five years to challenge the domination of the Bombardier and Embraer in regional services, COMAC said.

The ARJ21-700 has a flight range of up to 3,700 kilometers. It acquired its aircraft type certificate in December 2014 and completed its maiden flight in June 2016. Mass production started in September 2017.

China has in recent years stepped up efforts to build up its commercial aircraft industry.

Besides the ARJ21-700, COMAC has unveiled the larger C919, a narrow-body jet designed to rival the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737 series. A prototype CR929, the first long-haul jet jointly developed by China and Russia, has been unveiled.

A simulated emergency evacuation.

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Officials and crew of Genghis Khan Airlines take delivery of its second ARJ21 on Tuesday.

Source: SHINE Editor: Liu Qi

 

[JSCh]

China to be world's largest aviation market in 3-6 yrs
By Zhang Jie | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-06-20 13:23

A bird's-eye view of Beijing Daxing International Airport. [Photo/VCG]
China will become to the world's largest aviation market in the next three to six years, news website ThePaper reported on Thursday.

China's passenger throughput is expected to reach 980 million by 2022, while the figure in the US will fall between 950 million to 960 million, said the website, citing an official from the International Air Transport Association.

As time goes on, the global aviation market will tilt toward the Asia-Pacific region, where India's market size ranking will rise to the third spot from seventh in the world and Indonesia's to fifth from tenth, said Hou Kan, regional director of airport, passenger, cargo and security of IATA North Asia.

In the next 20 years, half the growth in the global aviation market will come from the Asia-Pacific region, which will account for 55 percent, while growth from China will account for 28 percent in the Asia-Pacific region, Hou said.

The fast-growing aviation market will add pressure to airport infrastructure.

Among the world's top 100 largest airports, only four have the infrastructure to satisfy the passenger volume growth in next five years, according to Hou.

Moreover, the traditional airline carriers will also be challenged by some nonaviation companies such as internet tech firms and logistics companies, according to Hou.

In the future, paperless service, utilizing big data to simplify security inspection on risk-free passengers, and automatic luggage sorting by artificial intelligence technology will be the development direction for airports, Hou added.

 

[JSCh]

Sino-Italian helicopter program of 12.8 billion yuan established in east China
Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-27 16:25:37|Editor: Liangyu

HANGZHOU, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A Sino-Italian helicopter production program worth 12.8 billion yuan (1.86 billion U.S.dollars) has been established in eastern China's Zhejiang province, sources with Pinghu municipal government in Zhejiang said Thursday.

The program, located in Pinghu Park of the Zhangjiang Yangtse River Delta Hi-Tech Area, will be a completion and delivery center, as well as a production line for the Italian leading aviation giant Leonardo Corporation in the Asia-Pacific region.

According to the program between the European company and Chinese general aviation firm Shanghai Zenisun, two production lines for the AW109 and AW139 helicopters will be constructed.

The annual production capacity will reach 150 helicopters with an annual output value of 16 billion yuan (about 2.33 billion U.S. dollars).

The program is part of the country's strategic programs under the Belt and Road Initiative and will be an important driving force for the construction of an aviation emergency rescue system covering China.

According to the Pinghu municipal government, the program will help to boost the local equipment manufacturing industry.

The Leonardo Corporation showed various new helicopters at the first China International Import Expo celebrated last year in Shanghai, where the helicopter production program was put forward.

The program will start in November this year, and the first group of helicopters will roll off the production line in 2020.

 

[JSCh]

Infrastructure completed at Beijing's new Daxing airport
By Wang Keju | China Daily | Updated: 2019-07-01 09:00

The construction of Beijing Daxing International Airport nears completion on Sunday. [Photo by Kuang Linhua/China Daily]

Simulation exercises running for more than two months will now test facilities

Building of the infrastructure for Beijing Daxing International Airport, which started in 2014, was completed on Sunday, marking the start of the preparatory stage of the airport's operation, according to the airport authorities.

The main construction projects, including airline bases, air traffic control tower, highway, intercity railway, high-speed subway line and other supporting facilities, were completed on schedule and passed inspection by the Civil Aviation Administration, the airport said in a news release.

Guo Yanchi, chief engineer in charge of the construction work, said the planning and design for the new airport was guided by its positioning as an international hub airport and the traffic it is expected to handle.

The terminal was designed to shorten the walking distance for passengers and provide as many aprons for aircraft as possible at the same time, Guo said, adding that it is only 600 meters, or less than an 8-minute walk, from the center of the terminal to the farthest boarding gate in each wing.

"It's more efficient for the passengers than any other large airport terminal of the same size in the world," he said. "The airport is also the world's first to be designed with double-deck departure and double-deck arrival platforms."

The airport has also adopted green and energy-saving concepts to incorporate natural light and seamless steel structure in its terminal design, Guo added.

To offer a more refreshing travel experience, five ancient-Chinese-style outdoor courtyards - with the themes "Silk Garden", "Tea Garden", "Porcelain Garden", "Countryside Garden" and "Chinese Garden" - feature at the end of the five departure lounges for use by passengers waiting for their flights, he said.

The airport is now organizing six large-scale simulation exercises for all departments stationed there to test its facilities and equipment. The exercises, running over more than two months, will see over 500 flights and handle 51,000 passengers and 35,000 items of luggage, according to the news release.

"The airport will also have to conduct several more test flights - for example, flying in low-visibility conditions - before being put into operation," Guo said.

The airport, which is planned to open before Sept 30, will act as a second international airport for Beijing to relieve pressure from rising demand for air travel on Beijing's Capital International Airport.

By 2021, the new airport is expected to handle 45 million passengers a year. By 2025, that number is expected to grow to 72 million.