Hawker Beechcraft is marking its 80th anniversary this year as it enjoys strong growth in China, and Asian markets in general. As part of its celebrations the U.S. company has brought three of its key airplanes to the ABACE show: the super-midsize Hawker 4000; the midsize Hawker 900XP; and the Beechcraft King Air C90GTx twin turboprop. A second point for celebration for the company is the 50th anniversary of the Hawker jet family.

Six of Hawker Beechcraft’s airplanes have so far received certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China: the Hawker 4000 and 900XP, King Air 350i/350ER and C90GTx and, in the piston-engine market, the twin-engine Beechcraft Baron G58 and single-engine Bonanza G36.

Demand for business aircraft is growing significantly in Asia and the region’s share of the world fleet climbed from 5.4 percent between 2001-2005 to 8.4 percent during the 2006-2010 time frame, said the Wichita, Kansas-based company. This contrasts with North American share dropping from 67 percent to 55 percent in the same period, signaling the importance of emerging markets. In this period Hawker Beechcraft jet deliveries in Asia jumped 103 percent and turboprop sales jumped by 97 percent. These sales accounted for 41 percent of total deliveries in Asia over the past 10 years.

Two recent orders for Hawker Beechcraft include three King Air C90GTx turboprops for use in multi-engine pilot training: two for the Civil Aviation University of China and one for Xinjiang Tianxiang Aviation College. All three will be delivered this year.

The U.S. company was born in 1932–the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese calendar, symbolizing intelligence, hyperactivity and strong business acumen.