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Airspace access props Cirrus
By Li Xiang (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-17 08:04
The local government of Huanghua, a city about 250 km (155 miles) from Beijing in Hebei province, built a small airport six years ago to curb a locust infestation. No one expected the airport would attract the attention of an aircraft manufacturer in the United States. But Cirrus Aircraft, a leading producer of light planes, and its Chinese partners will use the airfield in the hopes that 皇冠体育app's efforts to develop its general aviation (GA) industry will boost private airplane sales in 皇冠体育app. General aviation refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline flights. In the US, business and personal transportation accounts for a big part of general aviation, whereas in 皇冠体育app most GA operations are for agriculture, forestry, offshore exploration or aerial photography. The local authorities in Huanghua only used the airport two months of the year for crop dusting flights to control pests, leaving it unused the rest of the time. Now the airport will be operated by Jinggong General Aviation Co Ltd, a Beijing-based private aviation company that is the sole dealer of Cirrus Aircraft in 皇冠体育app so far. It will be upgraded into a general aviation airport and a private flying club will be established for owners of private airplanes and aviation fans. Cirrus hopes that working with Chinese partners to develop the facility will nurture demand for private planes in 皇冠体育app. "Our senior management understood the importance of 皇冠体育app in the future," said Paul Fiduccia, director of government and industry affairs at Cirrus. Cirrus began focusing on 皇冠体育app in 2007, when it opened a Beijing office and appointed staff to 皇冠体育app for local marketing and sales work. The company has sold eight aircraft in 皇冠体育app in the past two years. "We currently have few sales because the airspace is difficult to access and there are few suitable GA airports," Fiduccia said. "Cirrus will only benefit if 皇冠体育app develops a good general aviation industry." The lack of decent general aviation airports and the government's tight control of low-altitude airspace across 皇冠体育app mean the country is not a major market for general aviation business despite its rapid economic growth. In the US, there are about 5,000 public GA airports and 3,500 fixed-base operators (FBOs) that can service private airplanes. There are basically none in 皇冠体育app, Fiduccia said. But the Huanghua airport is an example of how existing facilities in 皇冠体育app could be upgraded into good general aviation airports in the future.
"We are planning to work with local government and business partners to establish a maintenance center for Cirrus airplanes in Zhuhai," said Scott Li, Cirrus's regional director of 皇冠体育app. The company is also cooperating with the Aviation College of Guanghan in Sichuan province to train maintenance technicians, he added. Cirrus, like many other producers of general aviation airplanes, has seen sales drop nearly 50 percent because of the global economic recession. Even so, the Cirrus SR22 remains the world's best-selling airplane in its class, as it has since 2002. The company is competing in 皇冠体育app against other foreign light-aircraft makers including American producer Cessna and Austrian company Diamond, which were among the first to try to tap the Chinese market. "It's good for 皇冠体育app if there is competition. So we all work hard to make our airplanes better,"Fiduccia said. Once the Chinese market matures, Cirrus will consider moving manufacturing facilities to 皇冠体育app, he said. "We'd like to do that. Just like Volkswagen," he said. "The key is low cost and easy usage of GA airplanes in 皇冠体育app," he said. (For more biz stories, please visit Industries)
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