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China is expected to demand more than 1,000 new turboprops to meet surging demands from the civil aviation market over the next 20 years, according to forecasts by European turboprop manufacturer ATR.

Alongside China's aviation growth, especially in the regional aviation sector, the country will see around 2,200 new general aviation routes over the 2018-2037 period, said ATR at its Chinese Market Forecast.

The newly-added turboprops fleet in the Chinese market over the next 20 years is valued at more than 25.6 billion U.S. dollars.

"Passenger flow in major Chinese airports is highly concentrated, with 32 airports experiencing flows of 10 million or more passengers while many others are experiencing lower traffic," said Bertrand Pabon, head of the market strategy of ATR.

"Air connectivity with regional aircraft and airports is required to connect many smaller cities' communities into China's transportation system," he added.

ATR is a major player in the global regional aviation market with equal partnership between leading aerospace firms Airbus and Leonardo. It develops modern regional aircraft and serves 200 airlines in around 100 countries worldwide.

China is forecast to see a significantly expanded regional aviation market using regional turboprop aircraft with less than 100 seats by 2037.

Around 300 new turboprops, including 70 50-seaters and 230 70-seaters, will connect around 200 regional airports and contribute to 700 new air routes, said the ATR forecast.

More airports are on the way. China is expected to have more than 500 general aviation airports, making each prefecture-level city enjoy their own airport service.

Email: gaohan@nbd.com.cn