from "Friends of China GA" website
At present,
General Aviation exists only on a very limited scale in China.
Estimates put the number of GA aircraft at about 850 nationwide. Some of those
850 aircraft are involved in agricultural and utility (powerline patrol, etc.)
operations, a few dozen police helicopter are also counted towards 850. Flight
training accounts for much of the remaining GA flying, while business,
personal, and sport aviation make up a very small percentage of GA operations
within the country. There are fewer than 30 business aircraft in China, and
fewer than 100 GA operators.
China's airspace is tightly controlled by the
People's Liberation Army Air Force, and access is reserved and prioritized for
official VIP, military and air carrier flights. General Aviation flights are
accorded a low priority and obtaining clearance to operate a specific flight
may take days, or even weeks although we have seen significant improvement in
approving business aircraft flight.
There are fewer
than 150 civil-use airports currently open, with about 100 more planned to be
completed by 2020. All of these airports
are primarily air-carrier facilities, and access by GA aircraft is subject to
onerous restrictions and limitations. Recently we have seen some improvement
with opening of a GA airport near Xi'an
and a few other GA/private airports in the work.
Aside from
airspace restriction and airport availability, lack of avgas, pilot and
understand of benefit of GA, as well as technical expertise also present
additional challenges in developing GA in China.
Official
awareness of the potential benefits of GA is growing. CAAC has adopted a body
of regulations governing GA operations that is similar to regulations in place
in the USA.
There are plans to liberalize GA access to airports and airspace, although the
extent and implementation of such plans remains to be fully apparent.
Manufacture of
civil aviation aircraft and components is also rapidly increasing. Several established aircraft manufacturers,
including Boeing, Cessna, and Diamond, have or are building manufacturing
facilities in China
, and Chinese companies are building a new generation of regional airline
aircraft, with larger models in the works.
There is a
rapidly growing demand for business and personal aircraft as China's
burgeoning economy and travel needs quickly outpaces its transportation
infrastructure. Businesses and growing
upper and middle class are becoming aware of the benefits of GA as a mode of
transportation and the pleasures of GA as a fulfilling hobby.
China represents a very large frontier of
untapped potential for the General Aviation industry. Restrictions,
limitations, and other obstacles to the development of GA within the country
are gradually being eased as demand and awareness increases. Infrastructure is
being built. Access is becoming more readily available. The future holds great
promise for the general aviation industry in China.
