During the Aviation Expo/China 2015 (16th event), ICBC Leasing, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ICBC, inked an MOU on purchasing and leasing ten C919 and ten ARJ21 aircrafts with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) and City Airways, Thailand on September 16, 2015. This is the first time China-made airplanes went global via financial leasing, indicating that domestically produced airplanes have been gradually recognized and accepted by the international market, and has also marked a breakthrough achieved by ICBC Leasing in developing the international market and supporting homemade aircrafts to “go global”.

On the same day, ICBC Leasing also signed a strategic cooperation agreement for MA700 with Avic Aircraft Co., Ltd., affiliated with Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The agreement not only confirmed ICBC Leasing’s intent to purchase MA700 aircrafts from Avic Aircraft, but also broadened their cooperation scope and means to cover market surveys on homemade airplanes, global sales cooperation, cooperation in financing plans and after-sales service support, establishing deeper and wider comprehensive cooperative relationship. To date, ICBC Leasing has forged close strategic partnership with two major Chinese manufacturers of civil aircrafts, and become the only financial leasing company that fully supports the research and development, manufacturing and sales of homemade “Trunkliner C919 and Feeder Liners ARJ21 and MA700” as well as after-sales services.

ICBC Leasing currently owns and manages over 430 large aircrafts of all types, and has delivered 245 airplanes. With customers including over 50 first-rate airline companies from home and abroad, it has become a major player in the research, manufacturing and sales of homemade aircrafts, and a pioneer in exporting the Chinese manufacturing industry.

COMAC is one of the major enterprises that implement medium and large passenger aircraft projects under China’s major program for large airplanes, coordinate the development of trunk liners and feeder liners, and realize the industrialization of civil airplanes in China. It is currently conducting research and production of new feeder liner ARJ21-700, large passenger airliner C919 and long-range wide-bodied passenger airliners. Avic Aircraft is a core business sector under AVIC, mainly responsible for the research, development, manufacturing, sales, maintenance of and services for all kinds of large and medium military and civil aircrafts. The newly developed MA700, on par with international standards, is a 70-seat medium-/short-range twin-engine turboprop feeder liner. It is due to make its maiden flight in 2017, obtain the certificate of airworthiness and be delivered to users in 2019. Founded in 2011 in Thailand, and based in Bangkok and Phuket, City Airways mainly operates domestic routes, and scheduled and charter flights to Southeast Asia and the Chinese Mainland. The ARJ21 aircrafts to be introduced this time are due to be delivered from June 2017.