Boeing predicts that China to need 8,500 new civil aircraft in next 20 years

China will need 8,500 new civil aircraft over the next 20 years, Boeing Executive Vice President Liu Qing said, adding that China will remain an important market for the US plane maker’s passenger jets and air services.

The headline figure includes 1,570 wide-body and more than 6,000 single-aisle aircraft, Liu said at a meeting of the National Development and Reform Commission and US Multinational Enterprises Roundtable — the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area held in Guangzhou on Mar. 20.

China welcomes US multinationals and firms from other countries to invest in the Greater Bay Area in technological innovation, green energy, ecological environmental protection, marine economy, and biomedicine, NDRC Deputy Director Li Chunlin told the same meeting.

Senior managers from multinationals have descended on China recently, and the whole country has made greater efforts to attract overseas investors, and foreign companies have hiked investment in the nation, according to Fu Baozong, deputy director of the Center of International Cooperation at the NDRC.

Important to note that Comac, which was founded in 2008 with the state-owned asset regulator and Aviation Industry Corporation of China being its major shareholders, anticipates having an annual manufacturing capacity of 150 C919 aircraft within five years.

Airbus has made a significant effort to localize its operations in China, with a final assembly line for its A320 aircraft in Tianjin and a training center in Beijing. This localization strategy has helped Airbus build strong relationships with Chinese airlines and government officials.