Too Much of a Good Thing Perhaps,
Jet Aviation Faces China Challenges

Jet Aviation/Singapore

Development of business aviation in China is presenting new challenges for Jet Aviation and its Singapore operation.

On the one hand it has begun marketing its heavy maintenance services on the mainland, and on the other, there is now a far larger region for it to cover in supporting its customers.

"Last year we received maintenance approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) for Citation 550 and 650 aircraft, and this is a real foot in the door," Jet Aviation Singapore VP and general manager Geoffrey Hopkins told Show News. "Before, it was very difficult to market there. Now we are actively talking in China."

China's CAAC operates a fleet of Citations, and Bombardier, the most successful manufacturer in selling to China, will soon have a fleet of 16 aircraft there-a fact not lost on Hopkins. "We are the only Bombardier certified maintenance center in the region," he said. "I see the Chinese market as a natural progression."

Meanwhile, a proactive approach to supporting Jet Aviation customers worldwide calls for Hopkins' emergency team to maintain current entry visas for China. "It can be a problem to get them at short notice," noting that the ability to move technicians quickly is a must when reacting to an AOG (aircraft on the ground) situation.

Jet Aviation last year responded to an urgent call on a Global Express grounded in Beijing by failure of a fuel management unit. "We have two on the shelf here," said Hopkins. "We dispatched an engineer with one on an eight-hour commercial flight to Beijing and had the Global repaired the next day."

Jet Aviation Singapore opened with fanfare at Asian Aerospace six years ago, just before recession hit and 70% of the business aviation market disappeared. Nonetheless, it hung on and has been profitable for at least the last two years while maintaining Jet Aviation's global reach. Its large hangar can hold up to two Boeing 737s at a time, and it is an authorized center for Bombardier, Learjet, Gulfstream and Citation aircraft.

Jet Aviation recently received approval from the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department to maintain the Hong Kong-registered Global Express on show here at Asian Aerospace. This Global is the first in the region available for charter. It is, of course, managed by Jet Aviation.

By John Morris