Zhuhai attracts top flight aviation players

Maintenance personnel check the Cirrus SR22 plane, a best seller among small planes. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Zhuhai in South China's Guangdong province is making great strides in developing its aviation industry, which was confirmed by the recent successful test flight of the world's largest amphibious aircraft — the AG600.

Also known as Kunlong, the aircraft carried out its maiden water-based takeoff and landing at Jingmen Zhanghe Airport, one of China's leading amphibious airports in Jingmen, Hubei province, in late October, boosting the country's capability in maritime search and rescue operations, environmental inspections and firefighting activities.

The amphibious aircraft is independently developed and built by domestic aircraft giant China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co, which has been located in the Zhuhai Aviation Industrial Park since 2009.

"The park has forged itself into an aviation manufacturing center with industrial influence and greater competitiveness over the past decade," said Xia Zhigao, deputy director of the park's administrative committee.

As early as 2014, the park took the lead in establishing an air traffic service station which offers a succession of flight services, including flight planning, flight information, weather reports and rescue.

The service station is a milestone for the development of China's low-altitude flight, according to Xia. In the same year, the park launched China's first low altitude air route — Zhuhai- Yangjiang-Luoding, making another great breakthrough in fostering the country's low attitude airspace administration reform, Xia noted.

The Zhuhai Aviation Industrial Park is cooperating with the Guangdong Academy of Sciences to found an aerospace equipment research institute, as part of its efforts to attract quality innovation resources.

To enhance its innovation capability, the park is working with China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co in its collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd to develop a new-generation multipurpose aircraft.

In addition, Zhuhai Aviation Industrial Park is committed to establishing a whole aviation industry chain, including aviation manufacturing, maintenance and services.

As one of the most prominent aircraft manufacturing enterprises at the park, the China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co has built up a sound product portfolio, which covers business aircraft, private planes, versatile aircraft and aircraft for specific purposes.

The beautiful Jinwan district [Photo provided to China Daily]

The park has clustered a raft of unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturers, which are focusing on the research and development of operating systems, components and parts.

MTU Maintenance Zhuhai Co, a joint venture between MTU Aero Engines and China Southern Air Holding Co, is an engine maintenance services provider at the park.

As the largest and top ranked maintenance services provider for civil aviation engines in China, the company covers 80 percent of all maintenance services in the country, according to the deputy director Xia.

Zhuhai Xiangyi Aviation Technology Co is a flight training company, founded by China Southern Air Holding Co and Canadian-based CAE, a flight simulator producer.

Relying on advanced aviation technology and professional training services, the training company has become the largest flight training supplier in China, Xia added.

Located in Zhuhai's Jinwan district, the aviation industrial park covers an area of 99 square kilometers, and is 20 kilometers away from Zhuhai Port and 10 km from the Guangzhou-Zhuhai railway, and thus benefits from being close to convenient transportation.

By the end of 2017, the park had introduced more than 70 aviation-related projects, of which the total investment exceeded 70 billion yuan ($10.06 billion).

From January to August 2018, total output value of industrial enterprises above designated size at the park reached 27.8 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 14.1 percent.