The rapid expansion of China’s agriculture and tourism industries are set to fuel the growth of the single-engine piston helicopter market in the country, according to a new report from Asian Sky Group, a provider of business aviation services and analysis in the region.
Within the analysis titled, China General Aviation Report, the company provides a wide-ranging overview of the fixed- and rotary-wing markets in the fast-growing Asian power. The report finds that the piston market is smaller than its turbine counterpart, with 384 helicopters versus 519 in the latter.
The total replacement value of the piston fleet is only $120 million, or just 3% of the overall value of the Chinese helicopter market, the report states.
However, there are reasons toexpect the piston fleet to quickly expand.
‘˜While China’s turbine helicopter fleet is larger than the piston fleet, the piston market is expected to grow because of the fast development of the country’s agriculture and sightseeing industries,’ according to Asian Sky Group.
Piston helicopters are currently mainly used for pilot training, which takes up 46% of the total piston fleet. The multi-mission category comprises 26%, while sightseeing is 16% and agriculture 8%. The remainder is soaked up by aero survey/photography and other uses. Guangdong and Sichuan are the major operating bases for the platforms.
The report states that ‘˜the limitation of low-altitude airspace still hinders the growth of the entire aviation industry in China, including the rotary-wing market’. Almost half of the turbine fleet is found in coastal provinces, the report states, including Guangdong, Shanghai and Shandong, with the major mission segments including EMS and SAR in Shanghai and offshore in Guangdong.
Overseas manufacturers dominate the industry, with China’s AVIC accounting for just 7% of the turbine market, which is led by Airbus Helicopters, followed by Bell and Leonardo. Robinson Helicopter Company takes the lion’s share of the mainland market in piston aircraft, followed by Schweizer.
The country’s largest turbine operator is the Citic Offshore Helicopter Company, which is involved in oil operations and pilot services for ships at port. There are about 105 operators of turbine platforms in total, with State Grid and Shanghai Kingwing GA among the other major players.
China’s overall aviation industry has flourished in the past few decades, the report states, tapping a population of almost 1.4 billion people on the mainland.
‘˜The government is now looking to tap into the potential of general aviation through new initiatives.’
Commenting on the report, Asian Sky Group managing director Jeffrey Lowe said support for the general aviation industry had to be both top down and bottom up.
‘˜There are some basic, necessary pillars required to have a healthy general aviation industry in China,’ Lowe said. ‘˜One is certainly support from the top down, which we have recently witnessed with numerous regulatory and policy initiatives put in place by the Chinese Central Government. But another essential pillar must be from the bottom up and this means, at a grass roots level, interest in and development of general aviation.’
