China aims to conquer a third of the global turboprop airliner market thanks to the MA-700, an innovative aircraft currently still in the design phase but of which wonders are already being said. Turboprop aircraft are particularly suitable for short distances: in fact, if they do not reach high speeds, they represent a considerable saving in terms of consumption.
The cost of fuel for aircraft is always a large component of costs for airlines, even large ones, which are now looking with particular interest at the possibility of converting to turboprop aircraft for short distances. The saving is considerable (on the overall cost of a flight, it is precisely the fuel that constitutes the greatest outlay).
“The MA-700 will have its maiden flight in the first half of 2017 and will be ready for the market in 2019,” says Dong Jianhong, chief designer at Aviation Industry Corp of China “I am convinced that the characteristics of this aircraft will allow us to gain more than 30% of the world market for turboprop aircraft within 10 years”.
Compared to its predecessors, the MA-60, the new aircraft consumes much less fuel, has lower costs for operation and maintenance, and more "eco-friendly" technology. Also installed on the MA-700 is the most advanced version of the “fly-by-wire” control system, which replaces the traditional servo-mechanical assisted controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. "After receiving the flight suitability certification from the Chinese authorities," Dong says, "we will need to obtain that from the United States Federal Aviation Administration, which alone can open up the western market for us."
