Beijing General Aviation establishes footprint at Changzhou Konggang Industrial Park

China’s Changzhou National High-tech Industrial Development Zone recently inked a framework cooperation agreement with Beijing General Aviation Co. (BGAC), under which BGAC will invest more than 5bn yuan (approx. US$820m) over a five-year period in a move to establish the sole general aviation manufacturing and operation service hub in Jiangsu province of eastern China. Previously, BGAC, a state-owned general aviation firm in Beijing, had taken its first steps towards globalization when it signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with New Zealand’s Pacific Aerospace (PAL) and established a strategic partnership with AgustaWestland, one of the world’s top three helicopter makers. BGAC will join hands with Changzhou High-Tech Zone to set up the hub at Changzhou Aviation Industrial Park. The hub will support all of BGAC’s general aviation operations across six provinces and one city in eastern China, by taking over the responsibilities for delivery, assembly and refitting of fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and business jets as well as general aviation operations, maintenance, training, supply of replacement parts and management of information-based systems. Over time, the hub will broaden its range of operations by expanding into manufacturing and research and development of aircraft.