Aircraft manufacturers clamor for China market

Aircraft manufacturers from Boeing and Airbus to Bombardier and Embraer are going to great lengths to impress China, whether by promoting new models such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787, offering big discounts or promising to help the development of China’s aviation industry. According to the Financial Times, while Beijing’s mission to build its own airliners has gathered pace, western executives at the biennial show in the southern province of Guangdong do not expect a local competitor soon. Boeing predicts China will spend $1tn on 6,800 passenger aircraft during the next 20 years as air travel in the world’s most populous nation grows by an average of 6.4% per year, outpacing the global average of 4.8%.  China’s first domestically produced passenger jet entered service this year.