Nanchang boosts aviation industry, earning opportunity to host conference

The 2021 China Aviation Industry Conference and Nanchang Air Show held in Nanchang will be an aesthetic dream for aviation enthusiasts as they can view aerobatic flights and try out advanced aircrafts.

Flight displays and an exhibition were organized at the city's Yaohu Airport after the two events' opening ceremony on Friday. Powered paragliders, drones and nine aerobatic teams from countries such as the United States and Russia participated in the displays.

The exhibition offered more than 60 airplanes. Among them were helicopters made in East China's Jiangxi province, where Nanchang is the capital, advanced business airplanes, emergency rescue helicopters and general aviation aircraft.

In total, 50 domestic and foreign aviation companies and academies such as Airbus, France's Safran and Commercial Aircraft Corp of China are on display at the exhibition.

Eleven launch conferences are also part of the two events, which will end on Sunday. Enterprises and research institutions such as Shanghai-headquartered Spring Airlines and Jiangxi Research Institute of Beihang University have prepared to launch their new products and services at a flight test center near Yaohu Airport.

The debuts involve both industrial products that can demonstrate excellent research and development and production capacities of Jiangxi's aviation sector and goods that can be used by common people.

Zheng Tangjie, deputy general manager of a Nanchang-based aviation industry company, said the trend of CJ-6, primary trainer aircraft, from military application to civil use is important for the company, which launched a new edition of civil CJ-6 in September.

It will offer aviation hobbyists and related users opportunities to visit the plane's cockpit and also after-sales service products at a debut on Sunday.

Jiangxi Tengyu General Aviation planned to launch its newest TU amphibious drone system and promote the emergency rescue services of different aircraft types on Saturday.

Gong Xin, general manager of the company, said: "The large TU unmanned aerial vehicle was developed for providing powerful rescue and efficient logistics delivery."

A Jingdezhen-based helicopter company, co-founded by Jiangxi province and Beijing Automotive Group, recommended the light aircraft it had spent four years developing and making on Friday. The helicopter received a type certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China last year and can be used for training pilots, crop protection and private possession.

Spring Airlines promoted its new air routes for this winter and Jiangxi-related tourism services on the same day.

A Nanchang-based photoelectric science and technology company launched two types of gyroscopes on Friday while the Jiangxi Research Institute of Beihang University planned to offer its new shock absorption cutters on Saturday.

A keynote session was also held after the opening ceremony, inviting governmental officials to discuss the aviation development orientation in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and experts to introduce key production technologies and new operation modes.

The two events also organized forums on intelligent technology development of drones, the aviation sector development and aeronautical maintenance and running guarantee.

This is the first time that the two events were held together. The China Aviation Industry Conference had taken place in Jiangxi twice before and this is the first time that Nanchang hosted it.

Nanchang is developing an aviation industry park to expand the sector. With a total planning area of 50 square kilometers, the park comprises several functional parts including a 12-sq-km aviation industrial area, a five-sq-km test flight area and a 10-sq-km military-civilian integration industry area.

It aims to become an important aviation R&D and manufacturing center and a key area for five aspects including homemade civil aircraft innovation, air vehicle maintenance and trade and comprehensive aviation training.

To date, 65 projects have settled in the park, with a total investment worth about 68 billion yuan ($10.62 billion). They are from organizations including nine complete vehicle makers, three aviation operators, six general aviation service providers and six aviation scientific research institutes.

The park also offers aviation education, exhibitions, tourism, sports and entertainment.

It has welcomed eight platforms, including platforms of airworthiness examination and approval, aviation investment services and aviation emergency rescue.

To help the park grow in popularity and better serve companies, Nanchang has also hosted other events including the global supplier conference of Commercial Aircraft Corp of China and the Jiangxi aviation industry fostering conference held in April.

The two events attracted nearly 100 suppliers, involved in fields of design, R&D and manufacturing. They laid a solid foundation for the park to boom, insiders said.

The 2019 and 2020 Nanchang Flight Convention, named Nanchang Air Show this year, had seen the signing of 42 projects with investment totaling 73 billion yuan. They had attracted about 340,000 visitors and increased the popularity of Nanchang's aviation sector, according to local media reports.

Nanchang also set up the Jiangxi Aviation Research Institute in June. It focuses on three fields: top research and planning of the aviation industry, aviation product design and R&D, advanced technology and innovative concept research.

The institute plans to provide consultation, advice and technical support for decision making in Nanchang's aviation development. It cooperates with domestic aviation organizations to study and solve major problems in fields such as airplane structures, materials, mechanical engineering and manufacturing.