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Dr Pui-Ho of Parker Aerospace takes the stand.

The good Doctor continues on the theme of China’s expanding aviation market.

By 2027, he estimates, that Chinese passenger numbers will grow to five and a half times its current size, with the average yearly growth being around the 8-9% mark.

With all of this served by a 3000-strong commercial carrier fleet.

This in turn will lead to MRO activity taking off in around 10 years time as the Chinese fleet ages.

He also points out the busy regional jet activity which is positioning itself to take advantage of this staggering growth.

The current regional jet players in the region are Embraer and Airbus (with final assembly lines) along with AVIC and Mitsubishi (both developing new regional jets).

Chen Jin (VP of AVIC Commercial Aircraft Company) takes the stand.

Chen’s here to talk about the ARJ21, China’s first indigenous airliner pitched at both domestic and international markets.

He starts. Before regional jet aircraft appeared on the market, the 50-100 seaters weren’t in demand in the region.

So what changed?

Day three at the Asian Aerospace Congress.

Today Flight International’s inimitable Murdo Morrison is our host and tells us that the topic of the day is aerospace technology.

In this session were concentrating on what Asia Pacific will require from Western partners to support the regions ambitions to build a major aerospace manufacturing base.

He introduces the panel which includes Chen Jin (VP of AVIC Commercial Aircraft Company), and Dr Pui-Ho (Director of the ARJ21 programme).

Peter Negline from low cost outfit Tiger Airlines is here to talk about the challenges for new airline business models.

He expands on the benefits of Low cost carriers to local economies:

• Tourism increase
• Cross border exchange
• Economy boost
• Job creation
• Growth in second homes
• Family travel reunions

Steve Miller, chief exec of Oasis Hong Kong Airlines (only 10 months old), takes the stand and immediately begins to entertain.

He starts with a joke:.

A guy is holidaying in New Zealand, driving about the Islands in an SUV.

He comes to a sheep farm and stops when he sees the farmer.

He calls the farmer over and says: “Farmer, if I tell you how many sheep you’ve got, can I take one for myself?”

“Erm, ok,” says the farmer.

“1572,” replies the man instantly.

“Amazing,” says the farmer. “Well, I guess you can take a sheep then.”

So the man loads one animal into the back of his SUV and turns back to the farmer to say good bye.

“Wait a second,” says the farmer. “Now it’s my turn. If I can tell you what profession you are can I have my sheep back?”

Jaime Bautista President of Philippine Airlines talks of the company’s troubled past.

At the end of March 1999, the company posted losses of nearly $262 million, with that being the sixth year in a row of negative financials, totalling close to $6 billion of losses in six years.

However in 1999 they broke the downwards spiral.

How?

Over on the Airline Business blog, Editor Mark Pilling reports on Tony Tyler's stint at the podium ...

As the Asian Aerospace 2007 International Expo and Congress gets off to a start here in Hong Kong, we'll be blogging from the event and congress hall on what the great and the good have to say.

First up Flight's own Head of Strategy, Kevin O'Toole, welcomes the audience with the message that AA07 is a new event focussed on the commercial air transport industry.

This new direction, says Kevin, is fitting given that the Asia Pacific region is now the world's fastest growing market within the commercial air transport sector.

In fact, he quotes, that one third of all widebodies are now based out of the region, and more impressively the Asia Pacific region now accounts for one third of all civil aircraft orders (Boeing, Airbus, Embraer and Bombardier).