Global aviation giants gear up for int'l cooperation

People visit the exhibition area of Airbus at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 12, 2024. (Xinhua)

GUANGZHOU, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Honeywell, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in the United States, signed multiple cooperation agreements with several Chinese aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul companies at the recent 15th Airshow China.

The signatories hope to work together to provide more efficient repair and maintenance services to support the sustainable future of aviation.

Like Honeywell, many international companies have signed new partnerships at the recently concluded airshow, with participants from 1,022 companies from 47 countries and regions.

"Honeywell has established close cooperation with Chinese industry partners," said Xu Jun, president of Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, Asia-Pacific.

During the airshow, the French aviation giant Thales renewed its maintenance partnership agreement with China Eastern Technics for five more years. This agreement enables Thales to provide ongoing maintenance, repair and overhaul services for the avionics of China Eastern Airlines' A320, A330 and B737 fleet.

Thales also showcased its Level D full-flight simulator, certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Capable of accurately replicating challenging real-world mission scenarios under various weather conditions, the simulator offers Chinese helicopter pilots the world's highest level of training experience.

"Thales looks forward to leveraging its industrial expertise to build closer cooperation with the Chinese aviation industry and move towards a higher level of mutual benefit and shared development," said Thierry Weulersse, CEO of Thales in China.

At the airshow, many international companies highlighted the great potential of China's future aviation market and actively sought new business opportunities within the country.

"We see the promising development trends in China's market and its continuous growth," Xu noted.

According to Airbus' market forecast released during the event, China will require more than 9,500 new passenger and cargo aircraft over the next two decades, driven by robust air travel and freight demand growth. The number of flights per person in China is set to increase from 0.5 in 2023 to 1.7 by 2043.

China has become Airbus' largest single-country market, with 2,233 Airbus aircraft in service with airlines on the Chinese mainland as of October 2024. In July, Airbus celebrated the delivery of its 700th A320 family aircraft assembled at its A320 Family Final Assembly Line Asia (FALA) in north China's Tianjin Municipality.

Construction of Airbus' second final assembly line in Tianjin, launched in September 2023, is progressing swiftly and is expected to be operational by early 2026, according to Xu Gang, CEO of Airbus China, during a press conference at the airshow.

During the airshow, the Brazilian aviation company Embraer presented its outlook on the Chinese aviation market. Its report predicts that the Asia-Pacific region will grow to dominate the global aviation industry by 2043, accounting for 38 percent of the global market, equivalent to the combined share of the European and North American markets.

"The outlook highlights the critical role of the Chinese aviation market," said Martyn Holmes, chief business officer of Embraer.

"We are delighted to participate in Airshow China for the 13th time. Embraer is committed to exploring cooperation opportunities with both Chinese and international partners with an open mind," he added.