China may launch development of a new 19-seat turboprop to help small regional carriers expand services to remote areas of the country under newly established Part 135 regulations.
Industry sources say several Chinese operators are looking to acquire small regional aircraft and China’s First Aircraft Design Institute (FADI) expects to begin studying potential products to meet their requirements and support Beijing’s plan to improve air access to western China.
China is committed to building several new airports in central and western China as part of its new five-year plan for economic development and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has drafted new regulations designed to make it easier for carriers to launch services linking these new airports with regional hubs such as Kunming and Urumqi.
The CAAC says that late last month it awarded its first Part 135 certificate to Harbin-based Flying Dragon and expects several general aviation companies throughout the country will use Part 135 to launch commuter air services. China Civil Aviation Regulation (CCAR) Part 135, based on US Federal Avistion Administration Part 135 standards, allows general aviation companies to launch scheduled services with aircraft of up to 19 seats and charter services with aircraft of up to 30 seats.
Flying Dragon, which now operates 19-seat Harbin Y-12s on general aviation missions in China and for passenger flights within Nepal, plans to launch commuter services in several regions of China including between Shanghai and islands in the Yangtze River Delta.
FADI director of civil aircraft development Li Daming says Flying Dragon and other Y-12 operators are interested in a modern 19-seat aircraft capable of operating in ‘hot and high’ conditions. He says existing 19-seat aircraft such as the Raytheon Beech 1900D cannot meet the requirement of Chinese operators and expects FADI will soon start engaging foreign manufacturers to discuss co-development of a new aircraft.
A subsidiary of China Aviation Industries I (AVIC I), FADI last year completed design work on the ARJ21 indigenous regional jet and many of its 3,000 engineers are now working on China’s large commercial aircraft project, which Beijing recently announced it will study as part of its new five-year plan. FADI is now studying both a 150-seat-plus passenger aircraft which if launched would enter service in 2015 and a dual civil-military cargo aircraft roughly the size of the Airbus A400M.
Beijing will decide within the next few years whether to launch both or just one of the proposed development programmes. FADI expects to soon begin discussing the projects with interested foreign manufacturers and suppliers.
BRENDAN SOBIE / SHANGHAI
Source: Flight International