Avion Pacific and Hawker Beechcraft sealed a $50 million deal yesterday for 10 Beechcraft King Air twin-turboprops. The order is for a combination of the largest King Air–the 350i–and the smallest, the C90GTx. Deliveries will begin in the fourth quarter of this year. The company will use the aircraft for VIP travel, pilot training, aerial mapping and weather modification missions.

Avion Pacific is headquartered in Shenzhen and has operating bases in Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu, Tianjin and Penglai. It is also setting up pilot and engineer training, business and general aviation operations, management and MRO facilities in Zhuhai.

“As the Chinese business aviation market continues to open up and grow, the versatility, efficiency and reliability of these King Airs will make them an ideal fit for our corporate and VIP clients,” said Avion Pacific managing director Wu Zhendong. “In addition, their flexibility for special missions ensures they will be a key part of China’s fleet for the foreseeable future.”

The King Air 350i can set up to 11 passengers and features FlexCabin capability, which allows for quick configuration changes to make more room for VIPs. The C90GTx seats up to seven passengers.

Wu Zhendong, managing director of  Avion Pacific, and Shawn Vick, executive vice president of Hawker Beechcraft, signed the purchase order for 10 Beech King Airs at ABACE 2012 in Shanghai. (Photo: David McIntosh.)