By mid-March, while much of the rest of the world was locking down to combat Covid-19, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region was “beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) chairman and CEO Wu Zhendong. This despite restricted flight operations and unknown industry effects going forward. Yet any region anchored by a 4,000-year-old civilization takes a long-term view, and with the epidemic receding—having claimed this year’s ABACE trade show in Shanghai among its victims—its business aviation community is looking ahead.
Jason Liao, chairman and CEO of consultancy China Business Aviation Group in Beijing, expects the crisis to have “very negative” effects on the industry now, “but the long-term prospect is very positive: general aviation is playing a very active role in the war against coronavirus by providing transportation of critical supplies and key personnel—the first time in Chinese history it has played such a critical role,” he said. “The government, the public, the media, and potential customers have realized the benefits of business aircraft.”
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