Aviation industry takes off in Wuhu, E China's Anhui

A modern aviation industrial park has taken shape in Wanzhi district, Wuhu, east China's Anhui Province.

Photo shows an aerial view of a section of Wuhu Aviation Industrial Park in Wanzhi district, Wuhu, east China's Anhui Province. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Wanzhi District Committee)

Known as the Wuhu Aviation Industrial Park, it has built a supply chain covering everything from engines and precision avionics to propellers and end gears — making it possible to build a domestically produced general aviation aircraft without ever leaving.

Inside, aircraft stand in neat rows on the production line. As engines roar to life, the scene hums with both mechanical energy and quiet confidence.

Gao Pan (left) calibrates an aircraft engine at Wuhu Aviation Industrial Park in Wanzhi district, Wuhu, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Miao Zijian)

In 2013, Wuhu laid the groundwork for its aviation industrial park. Seizing on the construction of Wuhu Xuanzhou Airport, the city brought in Wuhu Diamond Aero Engine Co., Ltd. (WDAE), a joint venture between the Wuhu Municipal Government and China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC).

"Rather than settling for one or two anchor companies, the park pursued full aircraft manufacturing and built a complete supply chain from top to bottom," said Xiong Lingyi, deputy director of the Aviation Industry Development Service Center in Wanzhi district. Engines, propellers, avionics systems — every link now has suppliers within the park.

Photo shows aircraft made in Wuhu, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jun)

"More than 200 companies across the aviation supply chain have now formed a self-contained ecosystem within the park," said Xiong. In his view, the dense concentration of industry not only cuts logistics costs and fosters collaboration across technologies, but also drives strong synergy, with separate teams pushing forward on materials, process breakthroughs and software iteration.

The CA42 aircraft, independently developed by Wuhu Diamond Aero Engine Co., Ltd., obtained China's first civil aviation airworthiness certificate for a twin-engine, four-seat aircraft. Shortly thereafter, the CA40 — a separate model — also took to the skies.

Meanwhile, XiongMing Aviation Science Industry (Wuhu) Co., Ltd., also located at Wuhu Aviation Industrial Park, spent years overcoming process bottlenecks to gradually break foreign monopolies in end-gear technology, advancing from 20 millimeters to 3,400 millimeters step by step.

In 2025, the annual output value of the industrial park exceeded 35 billion yuan ($5.16 billion), up 32.6 percent year on year.

An aircraft is about to take off at Wuhu Aviation Industrial Park in Wanzhi district, Wuhu, east China's Anhui Province. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Wanzhi District Committee)