Expects To Carry 159 Million Passengers In 2006

The semi-official China News Service has reported the country plans to add as many as 142 aircraft to its commercial fleet in the next year, to handle the air transport needs of the burgeoning market.

Yang Yuanyuan, director of China's General Administration of Civil Aviation, said the country's civil fleet is expected to carry up to 15 percent more passengers in 2006 than this year, or 159 million people. Cargo traffic is also expected to rise, by up to 10 percent.

Yang would not go into specifics as to what type(s) of aircraft China expected to put into service in 2006, according to Forbes.

As the country reaches out to the West, China's air traffic market is expected to surge even more than it already has.

As was recently reported in Aero-News, Chinese air carriers are adding several airliners to their fleets, including a recent $10 billion order for as many as 150 Airbus aircraft for Chinese airlines.

In addition, the country's aviation industry is also producing the first Chinese-built jet airliner, the ARJ-21 regional jet, expected to enter service in 2009. The aircraft (above) is believed to rely heavily on the McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, and is similar in size to the American short-range jet. 

FMI: www.avic1.com.cn/English/EnglishIndex.asp