Boeing opened a new service center in Beijing today to provide enhanced product support to China's growing commercial aviation industry.

"We are bringing Boeing's world-class airplane services and support closer to our China customers, providing them a competitive edge in their markets," said Lou Mancini, senior vice president of Commercial Aviation Services.

The new Boeing China Service Center comprises highly qualified pilots and experts in flight operations, spare parts and maintenance engineering who are dedicated full-time to serving airlines in China. With Beijing-based experts who are fluent in Chinese and knowledgeable about customers' concerns and issues, the team will enhance Boeing's day-to-day support of more than 800 Boeing airplanes currently in service in China.

The Boeing China Service Center also will work closely with the Boeing engineering teams in Seattle, Wash., and Long Beach, Calif., on unique customer requirements and to develop products and services to further the reliability, efficiency and safety of the Chinese commercial airline fleet.

"The center is another important step in the overall partnership of Boeing with China," said Boeing China President Marc Allen. "Having a support center in China will help us bridge language and time-of-day barriers."

Boeing projects that China's demand for air travel will grow at an annual rate of 7.6 percent during the next 20 years, creating the need for more than 5,000 new airplanes by 2030.

Boeing offers the industry's broadest range of aviation services. The Boeing China Service Center is part of Boeing Fleet Services, which aligns with customers' engineering and maintenance functions. Fleet Services supports airplanes by providing product support engineering and maintenance, aircraft-on-ground services, passenger-to-freighter conversions, modifications and performance upgrades, and airline fleet management.