China mulls building general aviation airports in 2,800 counties

China mulls building general aviation airports

China has mapped out a blueprint for building general aviation airports in most of its counties, which will help drive another round of massive investment in infrastructure and manufacturing, said a senior official of China's civil aviation authorities on Saturday.

There is huge market potential in connecting some 2,800 counties with general aviation aircraft during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), Li Jiaxiang, head of the Civil Aviation Administration, was quoted by the Xinhua News Agency.

He predicted that the huge infrastructure project will create new momentum for China's economic growth, saying that 280 billion yuan ($44.7 billion) will be generated if every county has a general airport, versus only 78 currently available for general aviation.

The plan aims to meet strong market demand for faster and more personalized transport called for by wealthy individuals, along with uses such as rescue operations, agriculture and emergency medical services, Li Xiaojin, a professor at the Economics and Management College of Civil Aviation University of China, told the Global Times.

"Thus, the development of general aviation will not only greatly enhance China's infrastructure, but also provide an impetus for emerging industries like private jet manufacturing and air ambulances," Li Xiaojin said.

The plan comes at a time of gradual relaxation on a previous ban on low-altitude aviation, along with the delegation of approval rights for general aviation airports to local governments, Li Xiaojin added.

General aircraft can currently fly only in the airspace below 1,000 meters.

Policymakers are mulling over raising that limit, according to Xinhua.