Airbus has begun taking orders from Chinese customers on the mainland and is expecting more this year, a senior member of the aviation giant's management team said on Wednesday.
David Velupillai, marketing director of Airbus' executive and private aviation department, said: "China has been leading the world in economic growth in recent years and this is driving the expansion of the air travel sector."
He said Airbus was expecting the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao to account for 15 of the 75 orders it expects to get from the Asia Pacific region this year.
The potential economic downturn might affect Airbus' performance in the United States but not globally, as emerging markets were growing, he said.
Francois Chazelle, who heads Airbus' executive and private aviation team, confirmed the company had received orders from the mainland, which he said was a sign the potential of the growing economy in private aviation was being unleashed.
However, he said it was difficult to predict the exact number of orders Airbus would get from the mainland as some came via agents in Hong Kong.
（英语点津 Celene 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Brendan joined The China Daily in 2007 as a language polisher in the Language Tips Department, where he writes a regular column for Chinese English Language learners, reads audio news for listeners and anchors the weekly video news in addition to assisting with on location stories. Elsewhere he writes Op’Ed pieces with a China focus that feature in the Daily’s Website opinion section.
He received his B.A. and Post Grad Dip from Curtin University in 1997 and his Masters in Community Development and Management from Charles Darwin University in 2003. He has taught in Japan, England, Australia and most recently China. His articles have featured in the Bangkok Post, The Taipei Times, The Asia News Network and in-flight magazines.
