Last month, aircraft manufacturer Boeing and China Eastern Airlines celebrated the delivery of the 1,000th Boeing aeroplane for China, a 737-800 emblazoned with a daring peacock livery.
At the event, executives said the outlook for the industry is as bright as the aircraft's paint job - Boeing experts said in September China's commercial aircraft fleet would grow to 5,980 by the end of 2031 compared with 1,910 by the end of 2011.
Compare this with North America, where the fleet is set to grow to 8,830 from 6,650 over the same period, and you see where the growth is.
In another forecast, the brokerage Guangda Securities forecast that China would need about 3,000 aircraft between now and 2026, creating demand for some 6,500 aircraft engines worth US$65 billion (Dh238.74bn).
More than two-thirds of the world's airports under construction last year were in China.
The civil aviation administration of China, or Caac, said the country planned to build 82 airports and expand 101 existing ones across the country from 2011 to 2015.
Last year, the national development and reform commission, the country's top economic planning agency, approved 24 projects to build new airports and expand existing airports, with an estimated investment of about 100 billion yuan (Dh59.18bn).
At the moment, China has to import its commercial aircraft and most of the aircraft owned by Chinese airlines must be repaired and maintained overseas. That could be about to change.
There are hopes of a major boost to the industry from a significant aircraft engine research and development project, which is now under review by China's cabinet, the State Council.
The programme, which is focused particularly on technology, design and materials related to aircraft engine manufacturing, is currently going through approval procedures in the state council, and it may be approved shortly. The programme is expected to have an estimated capital injection of at least 100 billion yuan.
"At present, China's aircraft engine design and manufacturing have weak links in terms of materials, key parts, manufacturing equipment, processing precision and measurements," an unnamed professor at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics told the Xinhua news agency.
Among the companies taking part are Shenyang Liming Aero-Engine Group, Avic Xi'an Aero-Engine Group and research institutes, including Beijing University.
China's domestic engine industry is also advancing. The China North Industries Group recently said one of its units had developed a 36,000 tonne extruder that will allow it to produce turbine disks in much bigger numbers than is currently possible.
Central to China's domestic aviation ambitions is the country's homemade narrow body commercial airliner, the C919.
The C919 is a 168-seat, single-aisle, medium-range aircraft designed to give Boeing's 737 and Airbus' A320 a run for their money.
After the Zhuhai air show last year, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) announced it had received an additional 50 orders for the plane, which is due for delivery in 2016, after tests next year. Total orders received so far are 380.
Comac will bring a mock-up of the C919 to Aviation Expo China in September at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing, and "probably some more C919 orders, but it depends on the business development situations", Lu Zheng, the marketing and sales director at Comac, told local media.
"Comac is developing new designs for the ARJ21 regional jet to fit the demand of a business class and other demands," said Mr Lu.
Honeywell signed a $11.3bn contract last year with Comac to provide parts for the C919's flight system, which includes the auxiliary power unit, flight controls, and the wheel and brake systems.
GE Aviation Systems and Aviation Industry Corp of China Systems will provide the avionics core processing system, display system and on-board maintenance system for the C919 aircraft. GE will also provide the engines.
While China's domestic industry looks set for take-off, it remains an attractive market for aviation machinery, from parts to aircraft to maintenance. The gradual winding down of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan under the administration of the US president Barack Obama means US military spending is on the wane.
Last month, Koninklijke Ten Cate, the Dutch maker of airframe parts for the Pentagon's Reaper combat drone, said China was becoming a market for its advanced composite aircraft parts faster than expected.
Ten Cate, which provides composite parts for the Airbus SAS A350 long-range airliner and materials for body armour, has been forced to look to other markets to make up for greater sluggishness in the United States.
China's prospects were boosted when China Aviation Industry General Aircraft, based in Zhuhai, acquired the light-aircraft maker Cirrus Industries two years ago.
"The purchase of this company by Chinese owners opened that market," Frank Spaan, the business development director at Ten Cate, which makes parts for the single-engine plane, told Bloomberg.
The company is building test structures for Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, the developer of the C919 airliner, to secure a long-term contract. Ten Cate also operates in China through its relationship with Fokker Technologies, a Dutch company acquired in 2008 by a private equity group led by Candover Investments.
"We would expect later in the year to have our first real sales in China," Mr Spaan said.
"That is more quickly than we ever would have expected."
Earlier this month, Stefan Magirius, the president of GKN's Chinese subsidiary, GKN Aerospace, said the UK company was evaluating the prospect of manufacturing aircraft components in China, and was targeting steady growth in its Chinese vehicle-part supply operations.
GKN was a pioneer among western automotive suppliers, having first entered the market in 1988.
"There is very good potential" in China's aviation sector, Mr Magirius told The Wall Street Journal. He said GKN Aerospace, which supplies body and engine parts to both Airbus and Boeing, was studying the Chinese market as it works on a "market-entry strategy".
Mr Magirius said low-altitude air space, which is not open yet in China, was sure to open at some point in time, and that would provide lots of business opportunities for the small aircraft and helicopters segment.
This follows a commitment in 2010 by the Caac to liberalise the country's low-altitude airspace by 2015.
GKN has indicated it plans to extend its partnership with Hafei Aviation Industry, with which it collaborates to make engine parts for Honeywell International. These are used in systems for business aircraft and helicopters.
It seems aviation in the Dragon economy is set to soar.
business@thenational.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Test squad: Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan(wicketkeeper), Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah
Twenty20 squad: Babar Azam (captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Musa Khan, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz
Last-16 Europa League fixtures
Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)
FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm
Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm
Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm
Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm
Thursday
Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm
Sevilla v Roma (one leg only) 8.55pm
FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm
Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm
Law%2041.9.4%20of%20men%E2%80%99s%20T20I%20playing%20conditions
%3Cp%3EThe%20fielding%20side%20shall%20be%20ready%20to%20start%20each%20over%20within%2060%20seconds%20of%20the%20previous%20over%20being%20completed.%0D%3Cbr%3EAn%20electronic%20clock%20will%20be%20displayed%20at%20the%20ground%20that%20counts%20down%20seconds%20from%2060%20to%20zero.%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20clock%20is%20not%20required%20or%2C%20if%20already%20started%2C%20can%20be%20cancelled%20if%3A%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%09A%20new%20batter%20comes%20to%20the%20wicket%20between%20overs.%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%09An%20official%20drinks%20interval%20has%20been%20called.%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%09The%20umpires%20have%20approved%20the%20on%20field%20treatment%20of%20an%20injury%20to%20a%20batter%20or%20fielder.%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%09The%20time%20lost%20is%20for%20any%20circumstances%20beyond%20the%20control%20of%20the%20fielding%20side.%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%09The%20third%20umpire%20starts%20the%20clock%20either%20when%20the%20ball%20has%20become%20dead%20at%20the%20end%20of%20the%20previous%20over%2C%20or%20a%20review%20has%20been%20completed.%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%09The%20team%20gets%20two%20warnings%20if%20they%20are%20not%20ready%20to%20start%20overs%20after%20the%20clock%20reaches%20zero.%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%09On%20the%20third%20and%20any%20subsequent%20occasion%20in%20an%20innings%2C%20the%20bowler%E2%80%99s%20end%20umpire%20awards%20five%20runs.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results
Male 51kg Round 1
Dias Karmanov (KAZ) beat Mabrook Rasea (YEM) by points 2-1.
Male 54kg Round 1
Yelaman Sayassatov (KAZ) beat Chen Huang (TPE) TKO Round 1; Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) beat Fahad Anakkayi (IND) RSC Round 2; Qais Al Jamal (JOR) beat Man Long Ng (MAC) by points 3-0; Ayad Albadr (IRQ) beat Yashar Yazdani (IRI) by points 2-1.
Male 57kg Round 1
Natthawat Suzikong (THA) beat Abdallah Ondash (LBN) by points 3-0; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Ahmed Al Jubainawi (IRQ) by points 2-1; Hamed Almatari (YEM) beat Nasser Al Rugheeb (KUW) by points 3-0; Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) beat Yu Xi Chen (TPE) by points 3-0.
Men 86kg Round 1
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) beat Mohammad Al Khatib (PAL) by points 2-1
Men 63.5kg Round 1
Noureddin Samir (UAE) beat Polash Chakma (BAN) RSC Round 1.
Female 45kg quarter finals
Narges Mohammadpour (IRI) beat Yuen Wai Chan (HKG) by points.
Female 48kg quarter finals
Szi Ki Wong (HKG) beat Dimple Vaishnav (IND) RSC round 2; Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Nastaran Soori (IRI) by points; Shabnam Hussain Zada (AFG) beat Tzu Ching Lin (TPE) by points.
Female 57kg quarter finals
Nguyen Thi Nguyet (VIE) beat Anisha Shetty (IND) by points 2-1; Areeya Sahot (THA) beat Dana Al Mayyal (KUW) RSC Round 1; Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Ching Yee Tsang (HKG) by points 3-0.
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Fixtures - Open Men 2pm: India v New Zealand, Malaysia v UAE, Singapore v South Africa, Sri Lanka v England; 8pm: Australia v Singapore, India v Sri Lanka, England v Malaysia, New Zealand v South Africa
Fixtures - Open Women Noon: New Zealand v England, UAE v Australia; 6pm: England v South Africa, New Zealand v Australia
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Normal People
Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
More from Aya Iskandarani
if you go
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
The%20specs
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if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
