Two ERJ145 regional jets manufactured by the Sino-Brazilian joint venture, Embraer Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd., are expected to fly on China's domestic short-haul routes starting this month, sources with the China Southern Airlines have said.

As the first end user of Sino-Brazilian jets, China Southern Airlines has ordered six ERJ145 jets to strengthen its domestic feeder airlines.

The first two ERJ145 regional jets of China Southern Airlines will be put into use on 16 domestic feeder airlines, with Guangzhou, capital of southern Guangdong Province, being the starting point, said Hao Jianhua, deputy general manager of the company.

The 50-seat turbofan aircraft are jointly made by the Hafei Aviation Industry Co., Ltd. and Brazil's Empresa Brasileira De Aeronautica SA.(Embraer), the world's fourth largest aircraft manufacturer that entered China in 2000.

The joint venture Embraer, based in Harbin, capital of northeastern Heilongjiang Province, was established in January 2003. It is capable of producing up to 24 aircraft annually, according to sources with the joint venture.

The ERJ series are a new generation of turbofan regional jets that were first put on the market by Embraer in 1996. They have taken the lion's share of the global aviation market, with over 800 aircraft already delivered to end users in the United States and Europe.

The first Sino-Brazilian ERJ145 regional jet rolled off the production line and took a successful maiden flight in December last year.

It is estimated that China will need some 635 jet planes of 30 to 120 seats for feeder airlines in the next 20 years, meaning a market worth of 130 billion yuan (US$15.72 billion).

China now has a total 660 aircraft in service and about 70 of them are serving short-haul airlines, accounting for less than 12 percent of the total.

The proportion is still small compared with 35 percent on average in the world aviation market.

Some insiders said China has become a market with great growth potential.

(Xinhua News Agency July 6, 2004)