2023 Aero Asia show stuns with major breakthrough in general aviation

The 2023 Aero Asia show, the first of its kind, concluded on Sunday in Zhuhai City, south China's Guangdong Province, showcasing the latest technologies, achievements, and products in the general aviation industry.

Co-organized by Zhuhai Airshow Company, the organizer of the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, and their German counterparts AERO Friedrichshafen, this year's show exceeded expectations in terms of both professional visitors and scale.

With the theme "Get Your Own Wings," the four-day show brought together more than 250 leading general aviation enterprises from nearly 20 countries and regions, including prominent participants from the U.S., the UK, Germany, France, and Singapore, according to organizers.

Sun Jiefeng, an organizer of this year's show, told China Media Group (CMG), "This year's show exceeded our expectations in terms of professional visitors and scale, culminating in a resounding success. It showcased remarkable achievements in the Chinese general aviation industry across manufacturing, research and development, services, and other areas."

Encompassing a vast exhibition area of approximately 40,000 square meters, the event attracted a staggering 68,000 visitors, hosted 32 forums, witnessed the trading of 239 aircraft, and saw deals being signed amounting to a remarkable total of 7.3 billion yuan (about $1 billion).

Breakthroughs in general aviation

Adding to the excitement, the show unveiled a series of cutting-edge technologies and groundbreaking products in general aviation, drawing praise and enthusiasm from attendees. 

Among them, a short takeoff and landing (STOL) transport aircraft made its debut at the show. Dubbed an "aerial pickup truck," it is the first experimental aircraft ever flown into China from Europe.

Experts say that with the exception of military and civilian passenger and cargo flights, many other flight activities can be included in the category of general aviation, such as weather intervention, remote sensing and telemetry, flight entertainment, flight training, short-distance commuting, and emergency rescue, which greatly contributes to people's lives and the improvement of industrial and agricultural production efficiency.

Yang Chengguang, a general aviation instructor at Aviation Industry Corporation of China, told CMG that over the past decade, China's general aviation has made rapid headway in various fields such as general aviation operations and personal recreation.

The general aviation industry may grow into an emerging economic growth engine in the next 10 years due to its extensive applications in firefighting, emergency rescue and personal recreation, said Yang.

"It is fair to say that our country's general aviation sector has reached a considerable scale in the field of aviation operations. In the past few years, the number of general aviation airports in China, including temporary take-off and landing sites, has increased a lot, and it is expected that the growth rate will be faster in the field of personal recreation in the future," Yang added. 

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