Plane makers wooing Chinese buyers

Sophisticated Chinese buyers are becoming pickier when shopping for business jets in terms of their cabin preferences, which may create opportunities in the industry, according to an aviation executive.

"We've noticed a growing demand among Chinese corporate jet buyers for tailor-made decoration and design, which means huge market potential," says Liao Xuefeng, chairman and CEO of China Business Aviation Group.

He was speaking at the Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition, which opened in Shanghai on April 12.

Corporate jets used to be designed in accordance with Western preferences because its main customers were in the United States and Europe. However, Liao says, as wealthy Chinese start to become more interested in owning a jet, they have found Western styles not quite to their liking.

Heidi Fedak, senior manager for external communications with Gulfstream Aerospace Corp, says it will add kettles and rice cookers specifically for Chinese customers, as well as replacing knives and forks with chopsticks.

On average, an interior designer spends a year communicating with a customer to take note of his or her preference in every detail of decoration, Fedak adds.

Ron Ho, managing director of Rockwell Collins China, a US-based aviation provider for both commercial and government users, says, "At the beginning, Chinese business jet customers tended to buy the biggest one with the longest range to show their lofty social status, but now they've become more rational by looking for business jets that both meet personal and business needs."

As early as March 2011, Airbus SAS proposed a new cabin concept called Phoenix, which featured a gold and red color scheme. In addition, the company also offers the options of karaoke equipment and a convertible table for playing cards and mahjong, explains David Velupillai, marketing director of Airbus Corporate Jets.

Similarly, by incorporating Chinese culture, Brazilian manufacturer Embraer SA offers tailored designs that use Chinese paintings, lucky images of clouds and plum flowers, and Chinese-style furniture.

Average cost of outfitting a large corporate aircraft, similar to one from Boeing Business Jets, is between $25 million and $40 million, and it takes up to three years to finish, Liao says.

wang_ying@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/22/2016 page29)