View Full Version : Aviation:Home-Reared Phoenix
Yesterday's Nation printed edition carried this item in its China Business Extra inlay, but I cannot seem to find it anywhere on their website.
Construction has just been started on a 600,000 sq.m plant in Tianjin (130 km southeast of Beijing) with assembly hall, paint shop and outdoor facilities for ground testing and flight operations. Due to strong market demand and mutual desire for increased cooperation after Airbus had already successfully subcontracted parts manufacturing to Chinese companies.
15 May 2007 - groundbreaking
summer 2008 - planned production start
first half of 2009 - planned delivery of the first Airbus assembled in China
2011 - planned capacity of four aircraft per month
Will be the first assembly line outside Europe (currently: Toulouse and Hamburg). Sections to be delivered by ship from Hamburg.
jpatokal
26-05-07, 11:27 AM
This has been in the works for quite some time. Here's an article from 2005:
http://www.dancewithshadows.com/pub/airbus-china-flights.asp
Let's see how long it takes until the Chinese set up their own factory to produce the entirely-unrelated-no-sir "Aerobuse 3200" design... :P
I can see this one drawing some interesting comments from our resident China Skeptics: :D
http://www.asianewsnet.net/admin/doc_storage/photo_gallery/20071222/t_1824.jpg
[Photo: Asian News Net - China's first fully homegrown commercial aircraft, ARJ-21, rolls off the production line and is towed into a hangar at the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory on Friday. - China Daily]
2007-12-21 18:15:31
China inaugurates homegrown regional passenger jet; maiden flight set for March
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,
AP Business Writer.
China's first fully homegrown commercial aircraft, the ARJ-21, rolled off the production line Friday, marking a major step in the country's aviation program.
In a nationally televised ceremony, the Xiangfeng, or "Flying Phoenix," was towed into a hangar at the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory.
"Today, China's aviation industry has turned over a new leaf," Lin Zuoming, general manager of China Aviation Industry Corp. I, or AVIC I, said in comments carried on the news channel of China Central Television.
The rollout ceremony was closed to most media, apart from state-run CCTV and the official Xinhua News Agency.
AVIC I plans to begin mass production of the 85-seat regional passenger jet in 2009. It is scheduled to make its maiden flight in March.
The highly touted project aims to make state-owned AVIC I a competitor to other makers of smaller passenger jets, such as Canada's Bombardier Inc. and Brazil's Embraer SA, while laying the groundwork for development of a commercial jet twice the size of the ARJ-21.
AVIC I says the ARJ-21 is expected to grab up to 60 percent of the domestic market for mid-size regional airliners over the next 20 years.
China will need about 900 mid-sized regional jets over the next two decades, the company estimates, as economic growth drives an expansion of air travel and airlines look for planes best tailored to feeder routes.
http://www.axilltv.com/bkpost-2.php?newsid=220307
China plans to build 97 new airports by 2020
Sunday, January 27, 2008
AFP
BEIJING -- China announced plans Saturday to build nearly 100 new airports by 2020 to cater for soaring demand. The proposals will mean eight out of every ten residents will live within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of an airport within 12 years, the General Administration of Civil Aviation said.
It put the cost of building the 97 new airports at 450 billion yuan (US$61.6 billion). Air traffic volume rose 16 percent to 185 million passengers in 2007, according to official figures.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/2008/01/27/140780/China%2Dplans.htm
jpatokal
28-01-08, 08:03 PM
There was an interesting article a while back in the Wall Street Journal (?) about China's airport boom and its uneven fruits. This is not the one I was looking for (http://www.airport-technology.com/features/feature560/), but it does sum it up:
While proposed airports in the east are planned as a direct response to huge passenger and cargo increases, those in the West are seen as a way to spur investment in poor areas and to consolidate attempts to integrate China's ethnic minorities. ...
However, issues remain that need to be ironed out in order for new private sector companies to flourish. The level of airport charges remains a contentious issue for many domestic and international carriers, and it is these that could affect new market entrants the most. CAAC and provincial Chinese governments still have ultimate control over charges, leaving the individual airports with little flexibility to attract new carriers.
There is still a level of reluctance from Chinese airports to lower fees and charges because, unlike the west, there are relatively few secondary airports in China open to commercial operations. If an airline locates a desirable secondary airport, there is still no certainty that it will be cheap to operate.
In other words, while China's aviation sector is experiencing rocketlike growth, like the economy itself it's largely limited to the prosperous eastern seaboard cities. The economic rationale behind many of the new eastern airports is dubious at best, as quite a few of the existing ones are already bleeding money.
Output at Airbus' China plant to begin in August
Saturday, February 16, 2008
dpa
BEIJING -- Airbus SAS plans to begin production in China at its first factory outside Europe in August, a spokesman said Friday. The European airplane maker plans to deliver the first plane made at the plant in Tianjin, about 100 kilometers south-east of Beijing, in the first half of 2009, and by 2011, it should be producing four planes a month.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/2008/02/16/143167/Output%2Dat.htm
China Eastern to set up Happy Airlines: report
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
AFP
BEIJING -- China Eastern, the nation's third-largest carrier, has won official approval to establish a regional airline with a major Chinese aircraft maker, state media reported Tuesday.
China Eastern will invest 400 million yuan (US$55.8 million) and take 40 percent in the new company, which will be named Happy Airlines and target west China's middle- and low-end tourist market, the Beijing News said.
The state-owned China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I), a traditional military aircraft maker and the manufacturer of China's first home-made passenger airliner ARJ-21, will take the rest, it said.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/2008/02/20/143749/China%2DEastern.htm
jpatokal
27-02-08, 02:15 PM
The official opening day is Friday the 29th, but the reporters were let loose yesterday. It's by some measures the world's largest building, and certainly looks like Shanghai-Pudong on steroids. From the Independent (UK) (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/an-olympian-construction-beijings-new-departure-in-air-travel-787931.html)
An Olympian construction: Beijing's new departure in air travel
The latest terminal to serve the Chinese capital, designed by Lord Foster, is billed as the largest building in the world. It is also one of the strangest. Clifford Coonan has a glimpse inside ...
The newly wealthy citizens of a confident, powerful China will be treated to what is hailed as the world's biggest building. Designed by Lord Foster and built by the British-based global engineer Arup, the terminal caters for a rapidly expanding middle-class in China, keen to exercise their new financial muscle by taking to the skies. The project was delivered in four years, less time than it took to start even drawing up the plans for Heathrow's Terminal 5. ...
It is stunning. A golden roof slopes gently above the glass and steel main structure, and the skylights dotting the top of the building are designed to let natural light into the terminal, which is just under two miles long. They look like the raised scales on a mythical dragon's back. ...
The terminal is actually three buildings connected by a train and is similar in design, in some ways, to Lord Foster's Chep Lap Kok airport in Hong Kong, particularly in the descending walkways entering the building.
Given that Hong Kong airport regularly wins best airport in the world prizes, and that Beijing's present over-stretched international terminal is way down the list of the world's favourites, passengers who use the airport regularly are hoping some of that Hong Kong efficiency rubs off on the new Beijing terminal. Inside, the feel of the airport is similar to that of Stansted or Chep Lap Kok, and follows Lord Foster's principle about airports being like hangars, one big room rather than a lot of fiddly spaces which serve only to confuse passengers.
"In old airports, people feel disoriented," Mr McGowan said. "This modern design gives you a sense of direction. The orientation of the roof means you have a directional flow."
The addition of the terminal in Beijing and a third runway will provide what is already China's busiest airport with the capacity to support the Games and allow up to 90 million passengers a year by 2012. Terminal 3 has a state-of-the-art £125m baggage-handling system with 40 miles of conveyor belts that can handle 20,000 pieces of luggage an hour, twice as many boarding gates as the old terminals and nearly 300 check-in desks.
There is a light-rail terminal which will whisk visitors in just under 15 minutes the 15 miles to Tiananmen Square downtown, and the terminal is equipped with the gates and a runway capable of handling the giant double-decker Airbus A380 superjumbo. The airy interior will have 64 Western and Chinese restaurants and 84 retail shops. The terminal cost £1.4bn and that is just for the building alone; with support services and other infrastructure factored in, the project cost £2.3bn.
The increased capacity will place Beijing airport among the top five globally for total passenger numbers, alongside Heath-row, Europe's busiest airport; Atlanta, the busiest in the world, Asia's busiest airport, Tokyo Haneda, and Chicago O'Hare.
Flights will start from the new terminal on Friday, and British Airways will be among the first six airlines to use the terminal. The remainder will be transferred next month.
The light rail line, incidentally, is supposed to open on June 30, 2008.
jpatokal
27-02-08, 02:21 PM
Astonishing render, slideshow and comparative diagrams in the Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/27/wchina127.xml
And plenty of pictures in a huge Skyscrapercity thread:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=276618
China plans to build its own jumbo jets
Saturday, March 8, 2008
AP
BEIJING -- China plans to set up its own company to make passenger jumbo jets, making it less dependent on Boeing and Airbus, official Xinhua News Agency said Thursday. China's two main aircraft manufacturing and servicing companies were discussing cooperation plans for the project, Xinhua said. The Shanghai government, aviation companies, and other state-owned companies will invest in the project, Xinhua said, citing Jin Xingming, director of the aviation administration of Shanghai.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/2008/03/08/146189/China%2Dplans.htm
See also 2nd & 3rd posts BACK for info on Beijing IA's enormous new Terminal 3.
March 18, 2008 18:27 PM
China's Capital To Build 2nd Airport Before 2010
BEIJING, March 18 (Bernama) -- Chinese capital Beijing will start building a second airport before 2010, the General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC) said on Tuesday.
China's Xinhua news agency reported that this goal was included in the national civil airport development plan, which covers the years up to 2020.
Under the plan, the number of airports nationwide will rise to 190 or so by 2010, including 55 for both civilian and military purposes.
The location of the second Beijing airport, which will be for domestic services, is yet to be decided. However, CAAC officials said that it would probably be in the southern part of the capital, near the Yongding River.
Data from the agency show that last year, 148 airports on the mainland handled 387.59 million passengers and 8.61 million tonnes of cargo and mail, up 16.8 percent and 14.3 percent year-on-year, respectively.
Beijing Capital International Airport, the country's largest and busiest, handled 53.47 million passengers last year, putting it among the world's 10 busiest.
Its new Terminal 3, a major expansion project undertaken in preparation for an anticipated surge in passengers during the Olympics this summer, had its first commercial flight after opening on Feb 29.
-- BERNAMA
Non-specific link:
http://www.bernama.com.my/
See also 4 previous posts.
Beijing has A380 maintenance hangar
BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Construction of an A380 aircraft maintenance hangar, claimed to be the largest in Asia, was completed in Beijing on Tuesday.
The hangar, the first of its kind in the city, will be able to accommodate all Boeing and Airbus series aircraft including the A380 "superjumbo" aircraft after it is put into operation next month, according to the Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Corporation (Ameco Beijing).
Located to the north of the new third terminal in the Beijing Capital International Airport, the hangar is expected to carry out maintenance services for 11,500 planes every year, according to the joint venture between Air China Ltd. and Lufthansa.
The hangar covers a floor area of more than 70,000 square meters, a part of the airport's expansion project marked by the launching of the No. 3 terminal last month.
Construction of the giant hangar, consisting of a maintenance hall and an attached building, was launched in September 2006, involving 700 million yuan (nearly 100 million U.S. dollars) in investment.
The hangar will be able to offer timely and high-quality maintenance services to all passenger flights during the Olympic Games, Chai Weixi, General Manager and CEO of Ameco Beijing, pledged at the ceremony marking the completion of the construction. (Xinhua)
Today In Asia : Last Update : 08:46:00 19 March 2008 (GMT+7:00)
http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=3337
jpatokal
19-03-08, 01:24 PM
March 18, 2008 18:27 PM
China's Capital To Build 2nd Airport Before 2010
Actually, Beijing already has a second airport:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_Nanyuan_Airport
It's the current base of military-linked China United Airlines, and there have been rumors/plans that it could start serving as a "city airport" for shuttle flights to nearby int'l cities like Tokyo, much like Tokyo-Haneda and Seoul-Gimpo do today.
jpatokal
03-04-08, 11:59 AM
Some great reports by Wang Jianshuo on...
Shanghai-Pudong Terminal 2:
http://home.wangjianshuo.com/archives/20080326_shanghai_pudong_airport_terminal_2_t2.htm
Beijing Terminal 3:
http://home.wangjianshuo.com/archives/20080327_beijing_airport_terminal_3_t3_opens.htm
The upcoming Beijing Airport Express train (which looks nearly complete!)
http://home.wangjianshuo.com/archives/20080329_beijing_airport_express_train.htm
Shanghai Aircraft becomes supplier for Airbus
BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (SAMF) became a supplier to Airbus on Friday when it delivered its first set of cargo door frames for the Airbus A320 family of aircraft to the French company.
Wang Wenbin, SAMF president, said the delivery was realized through the joint efforts of the two companies that started at the end of 2005. The following February, the companies, together with China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation, signed a related contract worth about 16 million U.S. dollars.
This year, SAMF planned to deliver 22 cargo door frames to Airbus. In 2009, the production would increase to 12 units per month.
So far, six Chinese manufacturers are supplying parts for Airbus aircraft. The total value of industrial cooperation between Airbus and China's aviation industry was expected to approach 200 million U.S. dollars annually in 2010 and 450 million U.S. dollars in 2015. (Xinhua)
Today In Asia : Last Update : 12:36:36 12 April 2008 (GMT+7:00)
http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=3754
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/2008/03/08/146189/China%2Dplans.htm
China to unveil its own jumbo jet company
SHANGHAI, May 11 (Xinhua) -- China is set to unveil its own jumbo jet company in Shanghai on Sunday, marking a crucial stage for the country's research and development of giant passenger planes.
The new company, China Commercial Aircraft Co., will have a registered capital of 19 billion yuan (about 2.7 billion U.S. dollars), with the central government and the Shanghai government among the major shareholders, sources close to the matter told Xinhua.
Shareholders of the new company will also include China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I), the country's largest aircraft producer, and China Aviation Industry Corporation II (AVIC II).
It is widely believed that Zhang Qingwei, minister of the State Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, would be the company's board chairman.
The State Council, China's Cabinet, approved the setting up of the giant-passenger plane company in February 2007. This will make the country capable of building aircraft with a take-off weight of more than 100 tonnes or planes with more than 150 seats. (XINHUA)
http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=4210
See also previous post
Wednesday June 18, 2008
Two aircraft makers to merge
New Chinese company to build large planes
SHANGHAI: China will merge its two state aircraft makers to create an industry conglomerate, state media said yesterday, as it moves to pool resources to build large aircraft.
The merger of AVIC I and AVIC II has obtained regulatory approval and the new company, named China Aviation Industry Corp, is expected to be established next month, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing industry sources.
It provided no financial details.
China set up a company to develop and build large commercial jets in May as it tries to reduce its reliance on Boeing and Airbus. Both AVIC I and AVIC II have a stake in the firm, capitalised at 19 billion yuan (US$2.75 billion).
AVIC I, the developer of the ARJ21 regional jet, is the parent of Xi’an Aircraft International Corp, and AVIC II’s Hafei Aviation Industry Co makes the ERJ-145 regional jet in partnership with Brazil’s Embraer.
China unveiled the 90-seat ARJ21-700, its first domestically developed regional jet, in late 2007 and the plane is due for its first test flight later this year.
But China’s long-term goal is to make large passenger jets with more than 150 seats or freighters capable of handling more than 100 tonnes of cargo to give it a presence in the global commercial jet market. – Reuters
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/18/business/21579799&sec=business
China unveils new turboprop regional aircraft
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-06-29 20:29
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20080629/001320d1239309d1c5cb12.jpg
[Photo: China Daily - 70-seat MA700, the first China-made regional aircraft, is unveiled in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province June 29, 2008. [Xinhua]]
XI'AN -- The first China-made regional aircraft Modem Ark (MA)600 was completed on Sunday, marking a milestone in China's drive to be one of the world's leading providers of turboprop regional aircraft.
The research and development of the 70-seat MA700 was also underway, head of the preparation group for the China Aviation Industry Group Corporation Lin Zuomin announced at the Xi'an Aircraft Industry(Group) Company Ltd.
The 60-seat MA600, an improved version of the MA60, was 300 kilograms lighter, making it 40 percent more fuel efficient than turbofan-powered aircraft, said president of the Xi'an company Meng Xiangkai.
Improvements were also made in the power system, cabin design and flight capacities.
After five years, China would be able to deliver its own turbo-prop regional jet series of the MA60, MA600, MA700 catered to different users, said Lin.
The country would strive for a bigger market share comparable to its rivals, Canada's Bombardier and France's ATR. he said.
The MA600 was scheduled to make its maiden flight in September, and early promotion activities had attracted interest from many carriers. The main marketing drive would begin next year 2009.
Beijing Youth Daily has reported that 10 to 15 MA600s would be manufactured in the next two years. Up to 30 a year could be made according to market demand. Mass production would start in late 2009.
Company officials could give no information on the cost of the aircraft.
The China Aerospace Industry Research Center forecast 5,300 to 5,500 regional aircraft would be needed in the next 20 years, of which 1,900 would be turboprop aircraft.
Turbo propeller regional aircraft are commonly used on short and medium range flights.
Nearly half of the regional jets flying in Europe and North America are turbo-propelled. The demand for the relatively environment-friendly aircraft is expected to rise with global oil prices.
Regional aircraft account for just 12 percent of China's aircraft, and many large jets are flying regional routes, causing a waste of resources.
Experts say turbo propelled regional aircraft are the most economical and energy-efficient on short and medium range flights, laying the market foundation for the MA series.
Chen Fusheng, an official with the China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I) said the MA700 would be aimed at markets in developed countries.
It would be designed to meet demand for the next 20 years, Chen said.
Powered by the Pratt and Whitney PW-127J turboprop engines, MA60 is China's first regional plane designed and produced in line with international standards.
The MA60, with a maximum speed of 514 km/h and a range of 2,450 km or four hours, was first tested in 1993 and approved in June 2000 for commuter services as its primary role.
It has received 122 orders, of which 15 have been delivered to Africa, with Zimbabwe and Zambia among the buyers.
The ARJ21 Xiang Feng, in which AVIC I holds all the intellectual property rights, is set to debut in September.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-06/29/content_6803758.htm
China's Tianjin building runway for Airbus flights
AFP
Monday, August 18, 2008
BEIJING -- Airport officials in the northern Chinese port of Tianjin are building a second runway to test Airbus A320 planes built at a plant in the city, state media reported Sunday.
The new runway would be ready for May 2009 and would also allow Tianjin, which is about 110 kilometers (70 miles) east of Beijing, to serve as a backup for the Capital International Airport, the Xinhua news agency reported.
The report did not give details about the cost of the runway project. Airbus began construction of the Tianjin assembly plant, its first outside of Europe, in May and its first plane is expected to roll off the production line in May 2009, Xinhua said.
The plant, which is estimated to cost between eight billion and 10 billion yuan (US$1 billion and 1.3 billion), will produce up to 44 aircraft a year by 2011, the report said.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/_business/2008/08/18/170591/China%27s-Tianjin.htm
BBC World Service Radio News said this morning that GE Aircraft Leasing is in advanced negotiations to buy about 40 of these for service in the USA:
China's first homegrown jet makes trial flight
SHANGHAI, China -- China's first fully homegrown commercial aircraft, the ARJ-21, successfully made its maiden flight on Friday, a key step in the country's ambitious aviation program.
Authorities said earlier this month that they planned to make the flight sometime after Nov. 25.
Unusually clear skies in the region made Friday a good opportunity to go ahead, and the test flight was successful, said an official with the Aviation Industry Corp. of China, or AVIC, confirming reports in the state-run media. Like many media-shy Chinese officials, he gave only his surname, Peng.
The flight was made from a local airport in northern Shanghai's Baoshan District and went "extremely well," the China News Service and other state-run media reported.
For safety reasons, the aircraft was allowed to attain a maximum height of 900 meters (2,953 feet), the reports said.
The Xiangfeng, or "Flying Phoenix," was produced at the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory, a unit of AVIC.
The jet, meant for regional flights, is designed to carry 70-110 passengers and have a flight range of 2,000 nautical miles (2,300 miles or 3,680 kilometers).
Originally, the jet's planners said they planned to make the test flight by March. But delays in suppliers' meeting safety requirements slowed the project down, people working in the industry say.
China earlier said it expects the jet to get its airworthiness certificate in the first half of 2009 and to begin deliveries to customers in late 2009.
The showcase project aims to make AVIC's Shanghai-based Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China a rival to international manufacturers such as Bombadier Inc. of Canada and Brazil's Embraer SA.
Airlines have ordered a total of 206 ARJ jets, according to the government.
China will need about 900 mid-sized regional jets over the next two decades, Commercial Aircraft Corp. estimates, as economic growth drives an expansion of air travel and airlines look for planes best tailored to feeder routes.
The manufacturer says the ARJ-21 is expected to grab up to 60 percent of the domestic market for mid-sized passenger jets in the next two decades.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/c_business/2008/11/28/185338/Chinas-first.htm
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