The Thales booth at the Zhuhai airshow Photo: Tu Lei/GT

France-based Thales, a global leader in aerospace and space markets, said on Wednesday that multiple Chinese airlines, including Capital Airlines, Qingdao Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, and Colorful Guizhou Airlines, have selected Thales/ACSS avionics products and solutions at the ongoing Zhuhai airshow, as more overseas avionics producers are eying the fast recovering Chinese market.

Capital Airlines said it signed an agreement with Thales to modify ADS-B and S mode transponders for its 45 A320 aircraft.

Qingdao Airlines said it also signed an agreement with Thales avionics for the assembly of 27 A321NEO aircraft, including Thales' flight management system (FMS), emergency positioning transmitter (ELT), and ASS's T3CAS integrated transportation. 

We are ready to work with industry practitioners to provide continuous impetus to the development of China's aerospace and space industry, Jerôme Bendell, vice president of Thales North Asia and CEO of Thales in China, said in a note sent to the Global Times on Wednesday.

Due to the continuous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies, both upstream and downstream, across the industrial chain have been significantly affected by the weak performance of the market; however, the fast recovery in China has boosted confidence for overseas aviation players.

US-based Honeywell International Corp also on Wednesday signed a purchase agreement with Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Co. With the help of comprehensive product portfolios and global networks, we expect to cooperate with GAMECO for more efficient repair services to the local airlines, said Steve Lien, president of Honeywell China and Aerospace Asia Pacific,

Global Times