An increase in the confidence of the market’s future might lead to possible upticks in business opportunities for the general aviation industry in Asia Pacific, according to a recent report by Asian Sky Group.
In a Q4 survey conducted November 2016, more than half of the 250 respondents came from Greater China (30%) and Australia (26%); 33% said they operate helicopters.
According to the report, 35% of respondents in the fourth quarter of 2016 “believed that our economy has passed its low point and will get better, a 9% increase from last quarter.” This compared to 34% of respondents who believed that the economy has not reached its low point and will get worse — a 13% decline since the previous quarter.
Only 17% of the Central Asia respondents — the fewest of all the Asia-Pacific regions — thought the economy will get worse. The report noted, “This result reveals that aviation industry insiders in Asia Pacific are regaining confidence for the future economic growth, as well as business opportunities.”
As for aircraft utilization, respondents in Greater China said it was increasing in this quarter, with total utilization higher compared to previous quarters. “2016 Q4 is the first quarter recorded since 2015 Q4 when the total perceived aircraft utilization has been higher than previous periods,” the report said. The trend is similar for the South and East Asia region, with 27% of respondents seeing a decreased use of aircraft utilization — the second lowest since 2015 Q4.
Although Oceania respondents believe utilization is improving compared to last quarter, the total expected utilization in the region has not improved. R&WI
