China's aircraft deal with Solomon Islands in limbo

Plans appear to have stalled for China’s state-owned aerospace and defence conglomerate Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) to upgrade dozens of airstrips in the Solomon Islands to transform the Pacific Islands country into a regional hub, reports Australia’s ABC News. In return, the Solomon Islands government would purchase six aircraft from AVIC's commercial aircraft division, according to a leaked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2019. AVIC is a major manufacturer of civil aircraft in China, including the MA-600 and upcoming MA-700. Implementation of the MoU seems to have stalled due to COVID-19. Solomons - Solomon Airlines CEO Brett Gebers said he was unaware of the agreement. Currently, the airline’s fleet consists of one A320-200 leased from Carlyle Aviation Partners and four in-house turboprops used on domestic routes, including three DHC-6-300s and one DHC-8-100, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module reveals.<br/>