Contributor - Asia

Jennifer Meszaros

The Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) convened its 2025 China General Aviation and Business Aviation Safety International Symposium during the Aero Asia show last week. The event in the Chinese city of Zhuhai brought together regulators, operators, and industry stakeholders to discuss safety, operational efficiency, and sustainable development in China and the Asia-Pacific business aviation market.
Opening the symposium, Rocky Zhang, vice president of government affairs at Textron China and chair of the Chinese Mainland Chapter and board of directors of AsBAA, stressed that safety underpins the growth of Asia-Pacific general and business aviation. AsBAA chairman Phil Balmer highlighted the region’s potential, noting that the Asia-Pacific now hosts more than 1,100 business aircraft, with China representing a major growth market.
Data from AsBAA China member Jet Master shows that business aviation activity in China rose 6.2% year over year from January to October 2025, including FBO movements in Hong Kong and Macau. Foreign-registered business jets have expanded for the fourth consecutive year, reflecting deeper integration with global aviation networks. Flight trends show spikes during major international events, with cross-border operations, particularly with Southeast Asia, accounting for the fastest-growing segment.
This week, Asian Sky Group published its Asia-Pacific Region Charter Report – 2025, noting that by mid-2025, the regional charter fleet reached 430 aircraft, up 18.8% from 362 in mid-2023, with all subregions recording growth. South Asia led the expansion, driven largely by India, whose fleet rose 53.2% to 121 aircraft, overtaking Australia as the largest charter market. Australia’s fleet increased to 107 aircraft, retaining its position as the second-largest market, while Japan, Southeast Asia, Greater China, and Northeast Asia also saw steady gains.
<h2>Shifts in Asia-Pacific Bizjet Fleet</h2>
The Asia-Pacific fleet composition reflects both market preferences and operational demands. Long-range jets remain the most common category, representing 23.7% of the fleet, followed by large jets at 21.2%, light jets at 20%, medium jets at 19.3%, very light jets at 11.9%, and corporate airliners at 4%.
Textron, Bombardier, and Gulfstream continue to dominate the market, accounting for roughly three-quarters of the regional fleet, with Gulfstream and Embraer seeing the strongest fleet growth in recent years. According to the report, Textron remained the largest OEM in the Asia-Pacific charter fleet, holding a 30.9% market share as of mid-2025. Its Citation series continued to be the most popular model, particularly in India and Australia, reflecting consistent demand for light and medium jets.
Bombardier’s regional charter fleet saw a modest increase, reaching 103 aircraft, including two new Global jets added in India and Malaysia to meet demand for long-haul business travel. Gulfstream also saw its fleet expand, rising from 57 to 82 aircraft, a 43.9% increase, driven in part by owners converting managed jets into charter operations to improve utilization.
Embraer’s large-jet fleet expanded chiefly in India and Indonesia, with 34 preowned additions since mid-2023. The aircraft average more than 15 years in age, slightly above the regional norm.
Pilatus’ PC-24 gained traction as well, doubling from seven to 15 aircraft in the region, including four new jets acquired by Karnavati Aviation under the Adani Group to serve short-range routes within India.
Operator concentration also shows a mix of established and emerging players. TAG Aviation, Phenix Jet, Karnavati Aviation, and VSR Ventures lead with fleets of more than 10 aircraft, while 23 other operators maintain smaller fleets of three to four aircraft. Survey data indicate sustained demand for charter services, with safety records, service quality, and reputation remaining the primary factors influencing customer decisions.
<h2>Focus on Safety</h2>
During the symposium, representatives from Textron Aviation China, Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre, ExecuJet Haite Tianjin, and Metro Jet discussed how human factors contribute to more than 80% of aviation incidents, emphasizing the importance of safety management systems (SMS) and threat and error management frameworks. Emerging operational risks included over-reliance on artificial intelligence, safety challenges associated with new energy ground vehicles, data management complexities, and a shortage of trained personnel.
Star Jet, which presented a comprehensive SMS plan covering pre-flight assessment, in-flight control, and post-flight optimization, offered a reference for operations at Chinese airports. Aeromedical rescue programs were highlighted, including lessons from Lishui City in Zhejiang province, where 93 patients were transported over the past year, achieving a 100% success rate for routine cases and a 91.6% success rate for critical emergencies, while maintaining an operational cost of roughly $6 per minute.
According to Peiyi Wang, Star Jet’s lead for the aeromedical rescue program of Lishui City’s Health Commission, the program leverages affordable aviation medical insurance and public-private partnerships, coordinating helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and drones for medical supply delivery.
Representatives from Reignwood Asian General Aviation Beijing, Bell China, and Avion Pacific Group also shared experiences on helicopter-fixed-wing coordination, public-private partnership rescue networks, and drone applications for medical supply transport.
On the regulatory front, Ingrid Lagarrigue, EASA’s chief representative for North Asia, discussed Europe’s GA Flightpath 2030+ initiative, highlighting regulatory simplification, digitalization, and sustainable energy adoption. Kyle James, business development manager at the Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority, outlined global cooperation, life cycle safety oversight, and airworthiness standards. U.S. manufacturer Joby Aviation joined remotely, presenting updates on eVTOL development and operational safety practices.
In closing remarks, Paul Desgrosseilliers, vice chairman of AsBAA and general manager of ExecuJet Haite China, urged breaking down data silos to promote safety knowledge sharing. Geoffrey Jackson, executive director of the U.S.-China Aviation Cooperation Program, emphasized that collaboration and robust SMS are key to industry resilience and operational excellence.
The symposium, co-hosted by AsBAA and Messe Frankfurt (Zhuhai) Airshow Co., with support from Bombardier, concluded with calls for greater collaboration and data sharing among operators to enhance safety and operational efficiency across the Asia-Pacific region. It also comes as the Asia-Pacific charter market has seen significant growth over the past two years.

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