In keeping with the expected ascension of China's business aviation market, Dassault Falcon Jet Corp launched a new sales aircraft and marketing office in Beijing Tuesday.
Dassault Falcon is targeting big corporate clients and expecting annual sales of $1 billion over the next five years, equivalent to 10 aircraft a year, company CEO, John Rosanvallon, said at a press conference Tuesday.
Dassault Falcon is based in Little Ferry, New Jersey and operates as a subsidiary of France's Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault SA.
The new office will serve as a platform to support future growth, Jean-Michel Jacob, vice president of international sales aircraft, said.
The new office comes on the heels of an agreement last October with Hawker Pacific in Shanghai, to set up an authorized service center there. Another service center for Beijing is also under review.
According to Reuters, Dassault Aviation's business jet unit expects the Greater China region, including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, to account for 20 percent of its global deliveries within five years, double its 10 percent contribution today.
Dassault Falcon's marketing strategy will benefit from the government's drive to boost general aviation in years to come, with market expectations rising for a potentially profitable future for the business aviation sector.
In July of this year, Bombardier projected that the amount of business jets in China would rise to 600 by 2019, up from the current number of 50.
In the Zhuhai Airshow held last month, companies such as Embraer, Gulfstream, and DiamondAircraft showed off their latest business jet lines.
At the show, Bombardier Aerospace confirmed an order for five midsize jets worth $121 million from Donghai Jet, based in Shenzhen.
Roger Sperry, regional senior vice president for international sales under Gulfstream Aerospace, said the company currently holds a 62 percent market share for business jets in China, as quoted by 21st Century Business Herald on Tuesday.
However, Li Jian, managing director of Dassault Falcon Agent, said the long approval time for flights is impeding the development of business jets in China.
"In China, if you want to fly from A to B, you need to apply for permission days in advance, compared with one hour ahead in the US," said Li Jian.
He added that limited airports in China were another cause for concern.
Currently, the domestic business jet market is shared by Capital Airlines, Shandong Airlines, Shanghai Airlines and Asia United.
Earlier media reports said that Chengdu, Sichuan Province will welcome the first business jet hub in the west of China, joining Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
The Chengdu jet hub aims to attract at least 50 business jets to call the airport home.
By Tu Lei
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