UCLAbruins

Came accross this article on ainonline.com. Looks like Netjets is going ahead with its China venture, an official announcement was given yesterday at a ABACE show... Hopefully they bring back a few furlough guys to do this, but who knows how this will play out

I copied a couple of points that I found interesting and provided a link for those interested.


Name- NetJets China Business Aviation Ltd

Base of ops- Zhuhai, in Guangdong province (not Hong Kong, Shangai or Beijing, hum)

Fleet- "several" the company will managed aircraft that are wholly owned by customers.

The EJM model of business will be adopted at first, not the fractional model. The company will focused on managing aircraft and charters ", then bring in the fractional offering"

NetJets Is Bringing Fractional Ownership To China | Aviation International News

thepotato232

Just a couple of quick comments, since Zhuhai doesn't have the same name recognition as the other cities mentioned and it may seem like an odd choice of headquarters to the uninitiated:

It's a major aviation and tech hub, the training base for China Southern, and host of the country's big biennial air show. It's also within spitting distance of Macau, and driving distance of Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Besides that, it's a town of about 1.5mil with some very nice real estate ("The Chinese Riviera" - their words, not mine).

The city's in one of the "Special Economic Zones" like Hong Kong/Shenzhen, meaning it's got a certain degree of economic freedom, and they're using it to attract business very aggressively. I'm sure NetJets got plenty of incentive to set up shop in Zhuhai, but it's not exactly out in the boonies, either. Any word on when they hope to see a signoff by the CAAC?

hickspilot

is Zhuhai expensive? Even on netjets salary what is the incentive for american pilots to go? or do i have this all wrong and they are getting guys from somewhere else

thepotato232

Nowhere near the cost of Hong Kong or Macau, and notably cheaper than some of the mainland expat hubs. Or at least that's what I've been led to believe by others, as I've visited but never lived there. Certainly a lot tidier and more laid back than a lot of places you could find in China.

Not a clue where they're planning on getting the pilots, was actually wondering if anyone here had an idea.

hickspilot

seems to me its more on the outskirts than the inner city

thepotato232

Yeah, you definitely don't get the "big city" feel in Zhuhai that you do in so many other places in China. Actually reminded me just a little bit of Hawaii in some ways. That said, you're not likely to forget which country you're in, as the usual "This Is China"-isms will still apply (food, language, bureaucracy, etc). The real question will be how long it takes for NJC to get all signed off and flying, and whether China's still growing like mad when it does. Nobody's doing fractional ownership over there yet, but they won't be the first in the country to offer the EJM-style plan on a large scale.

kingairfun

May depend on how much weight being a Warren Buffet/Berkshire company means to the Chinese wealthy.... Hopefully it has some merit and lures some customers on brand name alone...

JetA PourHomme

I second that. Since it will mostly be Chinese owners, I wonder if they have a preference for Chinese pilots as well. I think that might play into the hiring process, but I could be wrong.

Or just a whole bunch of expats with experience maybe? Finding any qualified pilots who are willing to live wherever they are based in China probably wouldn't be too difficult if they have decent salaries.

hickspilot

forgive me but what are expats

Desert Sky

Ex-patriots