ICBC, China’s biggest bank, is considering expanding into the global aircraft financing market and has held talks with foreign airlines at a time when many western banks are scaling back or withdrawing from the sector.

在许多西方银行正收缩或撤出全球飞机融资市场之际，中国最大的银行中国工商银行(ICBC)正考虑扩张进军该领域，并已与外国航空公司进行了商谈。

“We have started to get in touch with airlines outside of China and we are hopeful that we will do something soon,” said Cong Lin, chief executive of ICBC Leasing, said yesterday. “The financial crisis is of concern to everybody, but airlines will still present a lot of good opportunities for us.”

工银金融租赁公司(ICBC Leasing)首席执行官丛林昨日表示：“我们已开始与中国以外的航空公司进行接洽，希望很快能有进展。金融危机让每个人都担心，但航空公司仍将带给我们许多好机会。”

ICBC’s push underlines China’s growing ambitions in the aviation market. This week, the president of state-owned China Aviation Industry Corp, which is building China’s first regional jet, said his company hoped to buy a foreign aircraft manufacturer before year end.

工行的扩张突显了中国在航空市场不断膨胀的雄心。本周，国有的中国航空工业集团(China Aviation Industry Corp)总裁表示，该集团希望在年底之前收购一家外国飞机制造商。该集团正在制造中国第一架支线喷气飞机。

China’s fleet has doubled in the past five years to 1,200 aircraft, allowing ICBC to develop a strong domestic leasing business. Mr Cong said the priority was to expand further on the mainland, but ICBC also has full backing from Beijing to expand overseas.

过去5年，中国飞机数量已翻番至1200架，使工行得以发展强劲的国内租赁业务。丛林表示，优先目标是在中国大陆进一步扩张，但工行还得到北京方面的全力支持，进军海外。

Bank of China is already active in the sector after acquiring Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise for $965m in 2006.

中国银行(Bank of China)自2006年斥资9.65亿美元收购新加坡飞机租赁公司(Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise)以来，就一直活跃在该领域。

“With strong government support, Chinese lessors will be able to grow very fast and emerge as one of the major players in the international aviation market,” Mr Cong said. He would not identify which foreign airlines ICBC had approached.

丛林表示：“由于政府的大力支持，中国租赁机构将能够非常快速地发展，并在国际航空市场成为一个主要参与者。”他无意透露工行已与哪些外国航空公司进行了接洽。

Executives attending a Hong Kong conference yesterday warned that the airline industry faced serious funding problems in the second half of 2009. The number of banks providing aircraft financing has fallen to 12, from about 30 in 2006, with ING of the Netherlands becoming the latest institution to withdraw from the business.

昨日在香港参加会议的高管们警告称，2009年下半年，航空业可能会面临严峻的资金问题。提供飞机融资服务的银行从2006年的30家跌至12家，荷兰国际集团(ING)是最近一家撤出此项业务的银行。

“Most deliveries are covered until June or July, but beyond that it could get pretty hellish,” said one banker.

一位银行家表示：“6月或7月前的多数交付已有保障，但在那以后会变得很难。”

“It would be great to speak to somebody who has money now,” said Rusdi Kirana, president and co-owner of Lion Air, the Indonesian airline. “If they [ICBC] want to finance some of our aircraft, that would be good.”

印度尼西亚狮航(Lion Air)总裁、共同所有人拉斯迪•基拉那(Rusdi Kirana)表示：“能有幸与目前拥有资金的人交谈太棒了。如果他们（工行）有意为我们的一些飞机提供资金，那将是好事。”

Lion Air has been among the fastest growing Asian airlines and has ordered 178 Boeing 737 aircraft. Mr Kirana said he had financing for 22 of these aircraft.

狮航是发展最快的亚洲航空公司之一，已订购了178架波音737飞机。基拉那表示，他自己为其中22架提供了资金。