Private aircraft stores are slowly blooming across China. The first of these started off in Beijing on March 29, 2013. However, according to industry observers, these stores do not signal maturity in terms of the general aviation market.
One of the engineers at the Beijing Capital Helicopter company said, “Low-altitude airspace (under 3,000 meters) is still restricted in China and the infrastructure for takeoff and landing is rather poor”. Buying an aircraft in China is not easy due to the shortage of parts and changes in policy.
The engineer added, that the private aircraft buyer must have an independent licensed aviation company to manage the plane. Moreover, the Civil Aviation Administration of China has got strict requirements for the aircraft which are used for commercial purposes. The pilots have to submit detailed flight plans for non commercial flights, such as the time and routes for the plane, along with approval from the administration, which could take time.
However, despite many barriers, the first private aircraft store attracted many people and three planes were booked in the first three days of the opening. Reportedly, the high cost of owning a private airplane does not bother the rich elite in the country, as China has 63,500 yuan billionaires.
