Regional jet makers eye China despite obstacles

Shanghai

NEW rules governing Chinese airline startups are fuelling hopes at Embraer, Bombardier and other regional jet makers for a spike in orders next year, but local competition and doubts about size restrictions still loom as major obstacles.

The new policy is aimed at encouraging fledgling carriers to boost domestic flights serving secondary markets in China rather than focusing exclusively on big cities. The three- month-old policy has still not been published in its entirety, leaving the industry guessing some key details.