A senior official Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) revealed in a press conference on September 18 that China will have 50 more airports by 2020. Faxin Dong, CAAC deputy director of the Development & Planning Division, also reported that there will be 68 more runways, new terminal buildings providing 7.07 million square meters of floor area, 1,832 aprons in the next three years. The number of air hubs in China will also increase by 26.
As of the end of July this year, China had 225 scheduled services airports and 310 general airports. By 2020, there will be about 260 scheduled services airports.
Since the State Council released the Notice On Promoting Civil Aviation Development in 2012, civil aviation infrastructure has attracted fixed-asset investment of RMB 755.5 billion, in which RMB 371.4 billion was invested in airport construction, including works on 53 scheduled services airports, 14 relocation projects, 90 expansion and reconstruction projects, 48 runways, 971 aprons and 4.67 million square meters of terminal buildings.
The construction of general airports infrastructure has also received supports from multiple parties.
Mr. Dong told The Paper that CAAC has taken a number of initiatives to create favorable conditions for the development of general aviation in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020). The approval of such projects has been decentralized to provincial governments, in accordance with the State Council Notice. CAAC has correspondingly streamlined its approval process and scrutinize only airport sites and accessibility, while giving local governments the authorities to approve everything else.
Mr. Dong also said that CAAC encourages private capital in building general airports by relaxing relevant rules. CAAC also provides subsidies to facility construction of general airports in accordance with the 13th Five-Year Plan. At the same time, it also provides subsidies to branch airports for adding general aviation facilities to stimulate such extension.
Meanwhile, the approval process of aircraft acquisition by private enterprises for general aviation purposes has also been relaxed in accordance with the 13th Five-Year Plan.
