Deer Jet seeks partners outside China to continue growth, TAG Aviation upgrading Falcon 2000 avionics, NetJets plays long game in China

China’s Deer Jet says that to continue its growth, the company will have to look outside the Chinese mainland for new partners.

Deer Jet’s history is intertwined with the history of business aviation in China. Aside from Broad Air Conditioning, which operated the first privately-owned aircraft on the Chinese mainland, it is Deer Jet’s name that has been at the forefront of business aviation in the country.

Established in 1995 as a subsidiary of Hainan Airlines Group, Deer Jet’s 19-year history can be viewed as the history of business aviation in China. In 1998, it became the first Chinese operator to join the NBAA and in 2005 it became the first Chinese operator to offer aircraft management within the country.

TAG Aviation’s maintenance centre in Geneva has signed its first order to retrofit a Falcon 2000 aircraft with a Pro Line 21 avionics upgrade for 2015.

As a Dassault authorised service centre (ASC), TAG Aviation will install a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics system on the Falcon 2000. In 2013, TAG Aviation upgraded Falcon 50EX aircraft with the enhanced avionics system.

TAG Aviation’s maintenance centre in Geneva has signed its first order to retrofit a Falcon 2000 aircraft with a Pro Line 21 avionics upgrade for 2015.

As a Dassault authorised service centre (ASC), TAG Aviation will install a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics system on the Falcon 2000. In 2013, TAG Aviation upgraded Falcon 50EX aircraft with the enhanced avionics system.

When NetJets decided that the time was right to enter the Chinese market, it chose not to go in with the fractional ownership scheme that the company is best known for. Instead, it decided to focus on management and charter.

In partnership with private equity and investment companies Hony Jinsi Investment Management (Beijing) Ltd and Fung Investments, NetJets China set up base at Zhuhai’s Jinwan International Airport, in southern China’s Guangdong province.

Two Hawker 800XPs were dispatched from the European fleet to take on charter duties, which finally began operations in September following a protracted process to get a local Chinese operators certificate.