China GA Aircraft Market – Turboprops & Piston Fixed-Wing – China GA Report 2021

Until June 2021, the total number of turboprop and piston fixed-wing aircraft was 1,583, equal to a market share of 52%, therefore making up over half of the entire general aviation fleet.

Single-engine piston aircraft, mainly used for license training, accounted for around three-quarters of the turboprop and piston fixed-wing fleet. Multi-engine pistons, also used for flight training, made up 7% of the market. Moreover, singleengine and multi-engine turboprops that were mainly used for agriculture, transportation, and aerial photography, accounted for 11% and 7% of the market share, respectively.

Textron was still the highest-ranked OEM with a market share of 30%. Among Textron’s aircraft, the Cessna 172 and Cessna 208 are the most popular piston and turboprop models, respectively. The Cessna 172 is also the most successful aircraft model with the longest longevity and is usually used as a training aircraft in aviation schools. The second most popular OEM was Diamond, with a market share of 25%. Its single-piston DA-40 and multi-piston DA42 are also popular models used in aviation training. State-owned aviation conglomerate, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) ranked third with a market share of 16%. Its singleengine piston model, Y5, a licenced version of the An-2 and self-developed twin-engine piston model, Y12, also have considerable market share.

Not surprisingly, the top piston fixed-wing operators are flight training schools. Amongst various flight training schools, the Chinese Civil Aviation Flight Academy – a university under the Civil Aviation Administration of China, was the largest and operated a fleet of 286 piston aircraft. Their fleet size is 6.5 times larger than that of Jiutian Flight Academy. The Chinese Civil Aviation Flight Academy is not only the largest Chinese training school but also the largest training institution in the world.

Beidahuang General Aviation, listed under Beidahuang Group Co, has a total number of 35 aircraft in its fleet and is ranked the highest amongst turboprop fixed-wing operators. Its main business focuses on agriculture and forestry as well as aviation training. Flying Dragon GAC and AVIC GAC ranked second and third with a total of 21 and 19 aircraft in their fleets, respectively. Flying Dragon GAC specializes in license training and land oil services, while AVIC GAC focuses more on flight training, forestry, and agriculture. Both Flying Dragon GAC and AVIC GAC have a close relationship with the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.