Boeing To Greatly Expand Customer Support In China

BEIJING, Dec. 1, 1995 -- Boeing today announced it is expanding customer support in China by increasing to 30,000 the number of spare parts stocked at its Beijing Spares Service Center, twice the amount stocked when the center opened one year ago. These include parts for China Southern's 777, the first to be delivered to China.

The company also announced it will be providing expanded telecommunications capabilities to airline customers as well as additional spares logistics training. Boeing has also opened a new field service base in Jinan, Shandong Province, to support new Boeing customer Shandong Airlines. This brings to 17 the number of field service bases located throughout China.

"This expanded support is the latest among many steps we are taking to support China's efforts to improve airline safety and efficiency," said Darce Lamb, Boeing Commercial Airplane Group Spares Director, addressing approximately 150 CAAC and airline officials attending the Boeing Beijing Spares Service Center first anniversary celebration.

The Boeing center offers two-hour shipment for urgent orders and next-day shipment for routine orders from its inventory valued at more than US$35 million. Located at Beijing Capital International Airport, Boeing and China Aviation Supplies Corporation operate the recently expanded 4,200 sq. meter (45,204 sq. ft.) center which also provides extensive component repair and overhaul services while stocking more than 1,000 additional parts from 18 aviation suppliers, with plans to add up to 20 more suppliers in 1996. The Beijing Spares Service Center is on a par with the six other Boeing spares centers located around the world. The centers are all computer- linked so that if a part is not on the shelf in Beijing, it can be provided from any location and rushed to China on the next available flight.

The Spares Service Center is a critical component because Beijing, with 2,282 takeoffs and landings each week, is China's busiest airport. It is served by 54 airlines, 18 of which are based in the PRC. Premier Li Peng recently announced a RMB7 billion expansion of the airport, scheduled for completion in 1999.

Crediting a strong working together relationship, Lamb noted that Boeing and China had accomplished many additional milestones in 1995.

Boeing stationed a team of technical specialists in Beijing to provide on-the-job training and support to customers throughout China.

The company placed two 737 simulators at the Civil Aviation Flying College (CAFC) to assist with pilot and instructor training and has to date trained 72 CAAC and airline instructor pilots. Boeing experts are also assisting the CAFC with efforts to upgrade their basic pilot training program.

Boeing maintenance instructors completed several weeks of 737 on-the-job training with hundreds of mechanics and technicians at China's airlines. More than 700 mechanics and 200 pilots completed training at the Boeing training center in Seattle.

Thousands of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and airline personnel completed extensive safety training, many at the second annual safety Conference hosted in October by Boeing and the CAAC.

Boeing and the CAAC, through the joint air traffic services task force, coordinated English phraseology training for almost 400 controllers and 12 instructors. Additionally, almost 300 controllers and 12 instructors have completed radar procedures training and 50 personnel have completed ground controller training.

To date, Boeing has delivered 243 jetliners to China, representing 75 percent of the market in China for western- built jet airplanes with more than 100 seats. China will soon take delivery of its first 777. At this milestone, every member of the Boeing family of airplanes will be flying in China.