China will need about five big-scale corporate jetliners each year, and Airbus, the world's second largest aircraft maker, hopes to grab 50 percent of the market, the company said Thursday.
The corporate jetliner market potential in China is great, and it will exceed the Middle East as a fast growing market, said Francois Chazelle, vice president of executive and private aviation with Airbus Middle East, in the company's press release.
Currently, Airbus has 20 orders in China, accounting for 80 percent of its orders in Asia. At the end of last year, Airbus had delivered planes to six carriers in China.
The flight hours of corporate jetliners increased by 30 and 40 percent in 2008 and 2009, respectively, compared with the previous year, and the growth is expected to reach 60 percent this year, said Zhang Kui, CEO of Deer Jet.
Deer Jet, a subsidiary of HNA Group, currently has 23 jetliners, including the A319 from Airbus, set to be operational in the second half of this year.
