China’s Deer Jet is planning to introduce helicopter service in the Greater Bay Area as the business aircraft operator sees rising demand for its offerings in Hong Kong, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, and Macau. Deer Jet will be partnering with Beijing Capital Helicopters Co. Ltd. for the venture and is evaluating the Airbus Helicopters H125 and H135, but has not yet decided on a time period for the launch, the company told AIN.

Deer Jet has an ongoing partnership with Beijing Capital Helicopters for other regions in China. The Beijing municipal government and Hainan Airlines Group jointly established Beijing Capital Helicopters in 2011.

A Deer Jet spokeswoman said more Chinese citizens now see business aircraft as a tool to save time. The Chinese business aviation market is still dominated by large-cabin jets, although there is some growth in the light and midsize jet segments. Beijing-based Deer Jet operates a fleet of Gulfstream G650/650ERs, G550s, and G450s; Bombardier Challenger 604s; and Dassault Falcon 7Xs.

Deer Jet also recently launched its own aircraft maintenance credit program that includes AOG, scheduled check, line, and cabin maintenance, and is divided into four categories according to the amount of shop time involved: 100, 300, 900, and 2,000 hours. Its MRO facility is based at Beijing Capital Airport and is approved by the CAAC and FAA to perform aircraft maintenance.