Air Charter Service has moved into larger premises in Beijing to enable the next step in its plans for expansion as the Chinese market continues to grow.

The new office is in the heart of the business district and will double the size of its previous premises.

ACS China managing director, Wanny Wu says: “This is an exciting time for the Chinese aviation industry, with the government’s plans to increase the number of airports from 220 to 260 by the end of 2020. When you think that the US has more than 5,000 airports and airfields, there is still a long way to go, but we are heading in the right direction.”

Private jets are proving more and more popular, with Wu saying: “Ten years ago it was still a novelty for people to use a business jet, but today it’s really starting to become a part of everyday life for hundreds of people. It’s also much easier to operate an aircraft in China today than it was ten years ago due, in part, to the gradual liberalisation of airspace.”

She adds: “There are more than one million millionaires in China, so our potential customer base is huge and will increase as people continue to learn of the benefits of private aviation.”

Air cargo is also booming, with Wu saying: “Our cargo operation has also gone from strength to strength – we doubled the size of our cargo team and saw triple-digit growth in charter numbers last year.

“We have ambitious expansion plans in China and in this new office we now have the space to triple the team size in the coming years.”