Over 400 enterprises have come to showcase their best products at this year's China International General Aviation Convention (CIGAC), an event held every two years in northwestern China's Xi'an City. Many attendees have expressed optimism for the industry's development in China over the last few years.

"In the past two years, China has changed a lot, especially in the intelligent manufacturing industries," said Yang Ning, sales manager of SupplyPoint Greater China, a company that provides smart storage equipment for facilities such as airbases.

"More and more customers need intelligent solutions to help them increase work efficiency. CIGAC is one of the best channels to develop the Chinese market," Yang added.

The convention was first held in the city 10 years ago. As China opened its market to the world, exhibitions including CIGAC have provided opportunities for more businesses. For aircraft engine distributor Peiport, this event is a must.

"This is the sixth time we have attended the exhibition in a row," said Tommy Kwan, technical director of Peiport Industries, adding, "we see the development of the aviation market. We see also a higher demand in flight schools, pilot training, and in maintenance and technical support."

However, the general aviation industry is still relatively new in China. Some companies have tried to help more people engage in this field with closer interactions such as flight simulations.

"We hope to better promote our products to our customers through the exhibition. Through our flight simulators, more people may learn about aviation knowledge and its importance. Hopefully they will like it," said Zhang Shun, marketing manager of Xi'an Xianghui Aviation Technology.

China has 239 general aviation airports, 460 general aviation companies and 2,562 general aircraft as of June, according to the data from Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

Liu Chunchen, director of the CAAC's airport division, said rising demands for short-haul transportation, sightseeing by air and emergency medical services had prompted the development of the general aviation industry in China.

He added that more than 100 Chinese enterprises launched air tours, carrying nearly 180,000 passengers in 2018.

This year's CIGAC is expected to attract over 100 thousand visitors. Air shows performed by international stunt flying teams are also scheduled from Friday to Sunday.

(CGTN's Pan Zhaoyi also contributed to the story)