China Aircraft Leasing Group (CALC) aims to expand its fleet by a fifth to no less than 100 airplanes this year and build a 50:50 mix of overseas and domestic clients by 2022. Its goal is to provide services to 100 clients by 2023, up from 16 last year. The company ordered 50 Boeing 737 Max planes for USD5.8 billion last month. In 2014, CALC placed a USD10 billion order with Airbus for 100 A320 jets. CALC, which is backed by China Everbright, had 83 planes as of the end of March, mainly models in the Airbus A320 series. Globally, leased aircraft make up 45% of the total market. In China, that figure is just 25% but growing rapidly. China’s aviation market will require 5,970 new aircraft worth USD945 billion over the next two decades, according to Airbus. Boeing forecasts that China will need 6,810 new aircraft worth more than USD1 trillion in that period. The country’s domestic jet maker, Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac), was even more aggressive in its forecast, predicting 6,865 passenger planes would need to be delivered by 2035. “Small airlines and newcomers are the ones that most need to find aircraft leasing partners,” said CALC Chief Executive Mike Poon. “A good partnership with lessors will substantially cut airlines’ costs, which mainly come from aircraft and fuel.” CALC is betting on Hong Kong ascending to become a top global aircraft leasing center to rival the likes of Singapore and Ireland, the South China Morning Post reports.