Global aviation market outlook and NZ

‘New Zealand is part of the global aviation community and reports released internationally in recent weeks indicate how bright our future could be’, said Aviation NZ Chief Executive, John Nicholson.

The challenge is identifying what in the various reports is directly relevant to the New Zealand aviation sector, and then determining how New Zealand companies can pursue the opportunities they present.

Some of the interesting announcements included:
Boeing predicts China will need 6810 new aircraft in the next 20 years
Boeing’s 2016 market outlook estimates 15,130 new aircraft will go into Asia/Pacific in the next 20 years, Airbus puts it at 13,460.
Asia/Pacific is predicted to need between 232,000 and 248,000 new pilots and between 217,700 and 268,000 new engineers in commercial aviation in the next 20 years, according to Boeing and Airbus
China needs 2800 – 3000 new pilots per year but trains less than half that number
Vietnam ordered 40 new aircraft from Airbus earlier this month, bringing total aircraft on order to 151. It has minimal domestic training capability

New Zealand is well placed to take advantage of many of the training opportunities that are arising. In 2016, the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand introduced a new Part 147 maintenance training organisation rule and a new integrated professional pilot training programme.

The new training rule and programme are aligned to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) rules which are followed in much of the Asia/Pacific region.

‘We can now provide training that our customers are familiar with, we have become more relevant and more credible to them’, said Nicholson. This is an important step in realising some of the new business opportunities.

A number of our trainers are now recognised by the aviation regulators in several Asia/Pacific markets and several have been approved to train for specific markets. ‘Approval by overseas markets is another positive step’, said Nicholson..

While India and the UK have been important markets for our training industry for many years, we are seeing markets such as China, Japan, Indonesia, the Middle East, PNG and Vietnam becoming increasingly important.

In many cases, the ability to open and build markets works best when Government and Industry work collaboratively. Vietnam is a good case in point where a Government to Government aviation collaboration agreement was signed last November and a good number of Vietnamese are now being trained by New Zealand companies, both in Vietnam and New Zealand.

Developing opportunities presented by recent announcements in the Asia Pacific region is not for the faint hearted. It requires commitment, can be helped by collaboration between New Zealand companies, and can be accelerated where Industry and Government address one of the biggest challenges faced: ‘Why New Zealand’.

‘Get things right and our aviation training industry has a very bright future’, said Nicholson.

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Key facts about Aviation New Zealand
Aviation New Zealand exists to lead, inspire and grow the New Zealand aviation industry.

It was established in 1950 to encourage the safe growth of the aviation industry in New Zealand. In more recent years, it has also become involved in helping the international development of its members.

o Aviation New Zealand has over 300 members and over 1300 on its database
o Members include agricultural companies, air operators (fixed wing and rotary), aircraft designers and manufacturers, the UAV industry, airports, aviation trainers, emergency and medical services companies, helicopter companies, and parts manufacturers.

Key facts about aviation in New Zealand
An ‘early adopter’ in aviation terms – first international customer for Boeing; first pilot training school 1916; first airmail 1919; and quick appreciation of the suitability of aviation for agriculture, tourism and forestry.

4639 aircraft in New Zealand, one per thousand people, give New Zealand one of the highest aircraft per capita ratios in the world.

Decades of policy innovation to support competition, safety and growth; 30m km² of safely managed airspace; and exports to over 100 countries on all continents.

Aircraft fit-outs, new aircraft (including UAVs), GPS track and tracing systems, high precision processes (for example bait and fire fighting), composites, titanium powders, and aviation industry business and operational systems are just some of the exciting technologies and practices developing in New Zealand which set the scene for growth in the next 100 years.

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