Cessna Aircraft (Chalet 190) announced here at ABACE 2013 yesterday that sales are up 50 percent in China from 2011 through 2012, and up in Asia Pacific overall. Meanwhile, the company is making rapid progress with its efforts to operate in China through joint ventures formed with China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. (CAIGA) in Shijiazhuang and Zhuhai. The joint venture with CAIGA involves building Cessna 208 Grand Caravan EXs (Shijiazhuang) and Cessna Citation XLS+ business jets (Zhuhai) for the Chinese market. The company has examples of both aircraft on display here in Shanghai.
Bill Harris, v-p of sales, Asia Pacific, said there are 32 Citations flying in China right now. Admitting they are not yet the best-selling jets in China, he added, “Success is relative. As the market matures, we believe that customers will see that we offer the same luxury as the large cabin jets, but at a size and economy that makes sense for the mission. We believe some owners of large-cabin jets will want a stablemate, a narrowbody jet, such as the new Sovereign or Citation XLS+, for the shorter, or domestic flights.” The XLS+ and the Sovereign carry onboard avionics that make them as capable as the large-cabin jets. “The Garmin 5000 system going into the Sovereign is open-ended,” Harris said, “making it simpler to upgrade as new capabilities come online.”
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