You can’t go anywhere in the aviation business world without stumbling across “China,” “jets” and “expansion.” So it’s really no surprise that Cessna signed a couple of agreements this week, developing relationships with Aviation Industry Corp of China (Avic) and the municipal government of Chengdu.
One of the agreements outlines a joint venture for manufacture of airplanes in China. Most of the assembly of the Cessna Sovereigns will still take place in Wichita, Kan., and Avic will complete the paint and interiors of the planes in Chengdu.
The second agreement may prove to be more significant, laying the groundwork for Cessna to break into the larger jet market. This will give Cessna broader product offerings and a foot in the expanding Chinese aviation market.
The Chengdu government is undoubtedly involved because the city in particular and China as a whole need to make major steps in improving the aviation infrastructure in order to support the quickly expanding demand for private jets in the region. That topic warrants its own blog. Tune in next week!