General and Business Aviation Infrastructure in China: Where's the Foundation?
2010 and 2011 are years marking the starts of a new era for general aviation in China. Those two years brought hope to the industry for an emerging potential huge market for general aviation. The question everybody is asking is when China will be ready for GA. Discussions are usually focusing on 2 main challenges China will have to face in the coming years: opening of the airspace and pilot training. However, one of the main challenge is usually forgotten: development of a proper infrastructure to support the flights.
Looking at the current situation, China does not have a network of airports and airstrips around the country allowing private pilots to fly across China. The only solution available today is to take off and land in international and national main airports. Getting the authorization for this, flying a turboprop or a piston aircraft, is almost impossible. However, recently a Chinese citizen living in the US had the chance during his trip around the world to land in 4 major Chinese airports among which Beijing Capital Airport, highlighting interest people are showing for GA and given a positive sign to the industry.
Some first movers already took the lead in the infrastructure development and created some small airports around the country. The most famous one for the moment is Pucheng airport in Shaanxi which will held in October the biggest general aviation show ever organized in China. This airport is the first of its class to offer dedicated services for GA as it is possible to find in the US. But the number of GA airports existing is still far from being able to provide a big enough network to fly across China.
Investors and GA airports builders are still facing a couple of issues before being able to open GA airports in China. The first and major one is that every airports opening needs to be approved by the central government in Beijing. After that, investors have to develop solutions for all the services going with an airport from maintenance services to fuel supply, air traffic control and in some cases immigration! For the moment, the country is facing a lack of trained staff and of companies able to supply those type of services leaving investors with an airport but no service for potential traffic.
In the near future, China will see investment in infrastructure coming from different type of investors from local government and economic zone to real estate developers who want to offer their residents airport services as it exists in a lot of residential area in the US. If China is following a development following the one Brazil had, more than 3,500 airports between now and 2025. This represents the biggest opportunity in the world for GA airports developers and GA airports related services.
Article written for Jet Asia Pacific and published in issue 16, November 2011