The joint venture, which also includes Avion Pacific, founded by former Chinese aviation officials, is soon to take delivery of its first nine-seat Dassault Falcon 50 costing more than US$10 million.

Services will be launched in Beijing by the end of April, Avion president Wu Zhendong , said.

He said the venture, the first of its kind, would order another Falcon corporate jet within the year and expand its services to Southeast Asia.

Dassault Falcon also planned to use the venture to sell its jets to China.

Mr Wu said the corporate jet market in China was new and offered huge prospects.

'In China there are only four or five corporate jets offering charter services, but in the United States there are more than 9,000 corporate jets in service, ' he said. Dassault Falcon is not alone in the market. Most of the world's largest corporate jet-makers have started to warm to the idea because of demand from the increasing number of multinational companies and senior government officials.

Last month, Bombardier of Canada clinched a contract to sell corporate jets worth $116 million to China United Airlines, owned by the air force, to transport government leaders and their guests.

Gulfstream Aerospace, a US corporate jet manufacturer, opened an office in Hong Kong in October last year to focus on the Chinese market.