Manufacturers expect strong demand from China

ZHUHAI - Chinese airlines will order 4,273 large passenger aircraft in the next 20 years, according to a report released here on Tuesday by a Chinese airplane manufacturer.

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd said in its latest forecast on China's aviation market in the next two decades that China is expected to order 4,960 aircraft, including both small and large passenger aircraft worth more than $563 billion, from 2012 to 2031.

In the same period, the global market will demand 31,739 aircraft with a total value of around $3.89 trillion, according to the report, released at the ongoing China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai of south China's Guangdong province.

The COMAC expects global air passenger turnover to grow at an annual rate of 4.9 percent in the next two decades, and that of China will expand by 7.2 percent annually.

At the exhibition, Brazilian aircraft producer Embraer also expressed full confidence in the Chinese market, predicting the Chinese regional aviation market will be responsible for 15 percent of the world's deliveries of 61 to 120-seat jets in the next 20 years.

In a market outlook released on Tuesday, Embraer also predicted a total demand for 650 business aircraft by the year 2022 in China, with a total value of $24 billion, representing 9 percent of global deliveries' value.

"Looking forward we have full confidence in the great potential of the Chinese market," said Guan Dongyuan, president of Embraer China.

There will be growing demand for better connectivity in second-tier cities, fostered by China's vibrant economy and its growing middle class, according to Embraer.

With 120 commercial jets delivered, Embraer claims 77 percent of China's regional aviation market. The company's Phenom 300 aircraft has just received the Validation of Type Certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, announced Embraer on Tuesday.