AsBAA in Action-February AsBAA in Action-February | Page 7

What is the achievement you are most
proud of?
Building up a company from scratch in the
private jet industry and making it run
profitably for 4 years now is a kind of
achievement I might say, but it is not yet at
the stage where I am satisfied. If I can see
it keep growing in another decade, that
would really be something.
How have you seen the industry
change over the last 5 years?
I have seen new technologies and
business models changing the private jet
industry over the last 5 years. Technology
is making it easier to charter flights online:
membership clubs, charter options and fractional aircraft ownership are making private jet flights available to a wider customer
base. New companies entered into this market with different business models. Some would like to become the Ubers of private
aviation, some would be positioning as one-stop shop for aviation related matters, and some would be set up by the aircraft
owners but getting support from other traditional service providers in a customized way. In terms of the industry growth, I would
say we have been going through a down cycle from 2013 to 2016, but this has been gradually picking-up since 2017.
What do you see as some of the challenges for business aviation in Asia?
The most important challenges is challenges related to traffic volume, infrastructure and regulations. Airports in Asia are
increasingly congested, the availability of well-timed slots for private jets is starting to be a deterrent factor that the aircraft owner
has to consider when determining where to base their aircraft, with the problem especially severe in Hong Kong, Shanghai and
Beijing. It is generally believed that within Asia, China will be the main driver for business aviation growth, as the ultra-high rich
population in China continues to grow at the fastest pace in Asia. However, the Chinese Government would also pose challenges
on the market in terms of its policies and its overall political sentiment and fiscal policies would also affect the money flow and the
overall market demand for business aviation. Countries like the Philippines and Malaysia are planning to build new airports to
release the over-capacity of their main international airport, however, the complexity in executing all the processes within their
Government will be a challenge.
What is the latest from your company?
We are going to open AOC operation in the first half of this year. Automation development will be our next step in order to
enhance the overall working efficiency for our business.
How do you see Business Aviation developing over the next 5 years?
Our industry generally believes that the number of business aircraft will more than double over the next decade and I firmly believe
that the next 5 to 10 years will be much better than the prior 10 years. In terms of Asia, China will still be the main driving force.
China has already made airport infrastructure improvement as focus of their plan and they now plan to build 66 airports including
Beijing, Chengdu, Qingdao, Xiamen and Dalian in the next 5
years. I believe “Micro-commuter” markets using business
aviation may also likely emerge, particularly in China. China is
entering into a more mature stage of business aviation, with
more options available for potential customers for having
business jet enjoyment, more sophisticated and capable
service providers entering the market while the
cost-of-operating decreases (thanks to higher IT technology)
and higher standard of safety and regulated environment .
This would be the overall development that I can see for
business aviation over the next 5 years.
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