Growing trade ties between African countries and China may further fuel the already-buoyant market for long-range business jets. As oil- and resource-rich areas in Africa like Nigeria and Mozambique develop their economies, the demand for consumer goods made in China is on the increase. However, airline service between Africa and China is an expensive and time-consuming process, creating the perfect set of circumstances for the right aircraft.
For instance, it's about 6,100 nautical miles between Matola, Mozambique, on the great circle route and that's just within reach of the largest Bombardier, Dassault and Gulfstream aircraft, not to mention airliner-based bizjets. VistaJet's announced purchase of up to 142 Bombardier Global business jets last week was made with those types of markets in mind. "A fair amount of the [aircraft] order is allocated to the Asian market," VistaJet Chairman Thomas Flohr said.
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