By Li Fangwang | AOPA-China | Updated: 2019-04-22

The annual Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE) 2019 has just opened on April 16th in Shanghai, China. The three-day event has achieved a great success. Since its inception in 2012, ABACE has scored over 8,000 attendees from 50+ countries around the world, 165 exhibitors, 35 business aircraft on static display and more than 300 members of the media.

In the past eight years, ABACE has developed along with China's business aviation into the Asia-Pacific region's largest international business aviation platform for business trades, collaboration and exchanges. Companies big and small were gathering in Shanghai with hopes and goals on new investment opportunities and meeting new partners in business. It provides a glimpse into the growth of Asian market.

With an unprecedented presence at the show, Gulfstream were showcasing its fleet of class-leading aircraft including Gulfstream G500, G600, G650ER, G550 and G280. Plus, Bombardier Global 7500 made its debut in China, a deal of 4 Global 7500 has been sealed, worth 291 million dollars,

The Asia Pacific region, nevertheless, accounted for only about 8 percent of the 3,478 business jets delivered globally over the last five years, compared with 2,122 jets delivered to North America, according to Cirium Fleets Analyzer data.

“The biggest factor that impacted the business jet market was pessimism and uncertainty which stalled purchase intentions or forced those marginal owners to reconsider keeping their business jets,” said Jeffrey Lowe, managing director of Hong Kong-based Asian Sky Group.

Despite the challenges that Asian and Chinese business aviation has encountered in the past few years, industry experts attending the annual ABACE remain positive about the sector's outlook for the coming years.

"The fundamentals remain quite strong, so that's why in the mid-to long-term we believe that the market will remain quite strong in China. I know as well there is a lot of effort to promote business aviation in China, like the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area," Chadi Saade, vice-president commercial of Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) said.