It has been a fascinating year for business aviation in Asia Pacific, bringing us into 2020 with the promise of strong growth potential in the region.
For several years, we have been discussing the possibility of Asia becoming Jetcraft’s second-largest market, overtaking Europe and behind only the US. While Europe’s use of light aircraft means it is likely to retain its number two position in terms of units, Asia’s fleet may soon surpass it in value, as buyers here predominantly choose large, long-range jets.
The reasons why larger aircraft are favored by Asian buyers are twofold. First, the infrastructure across the continent is restricted for business aviation users. For example, there are only around 250 airports in China that cater to private jets; while the US – which has a similar landmass – has more than 5,500. The need to fly longer distances between airports demands an aircraft with those mission capabilities.