Domestic branch airport development views will be issued this year

According to the 2013 China Airport Forum recently held in Beijing, it is expected that the State Council will release relevant opinions on accelerating the development of domestic feeder airports.

According to Wang Kunzhi, deputy director of the Civil Aviation Department’s Airport Division, 10 new airports will be built this year, and it is expected that the number of civilian transport airports will reach 193 by the end of the year. As of the end of last year, there were 183 civil transport airports in China. Calculated according to a 100-km service radius or a 1.5-hour drive distance, the existing airport covers 77.7% of cities above prefecture level in Mainland China and 76% of minority autonomous prefectures, leagues, and regional capitals. During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, China will build 82 airports, relocate 26 airports, expand and expand 109 airports, and conduct 36 pre-construction studies. Wang Kunzhi believes that building a comprehensive transportation hub, developing an airport economy, developing green airport research and practice, exploring new technologies for multi-runway applications, and accelerating the construction of general airports will become the five new trends in the development of civil airports in China.

Despite the great enthusiasm of the construction airports around the country, there are 22 major civil airport construction projects this year, but Liu Zijing, chairman of the China Civil Airport Association, also pointed out some problems under the airport construction boom. For example, the scale, strength and development trend of the existing professional airport construction facilities in the industry, as well as the complicated approval procedures for airport construction projects, have not kept pace with the needs of airport construction around the country. The construction of the general airport has not yet fully realized standardization management, and it cannot keep up with the needs of development. In addition, in the field of airport construction investment, the design of most airport financing instruments in China is not clear, and the financing channels are relatively simple. Except for government investment, most of them can only be issued through bonds and bank loans.

Zhang Kejun, general manager of Guangdong Airport Management Group Co., Ltd. introduced that the Guangdong Airport Group is actively implementing the "Several Opinions of the State Council on Promoting the Development of the Civil Aviation Industry" and actively promoted the government to establish a sound policy support system to promote the world-class aviation hub of Guangzhou Baiyun Airport. We will build coordinated development with small and medium-sized airports and vigorously develop the aviation economy and other three areas of efforts to improve the strategic position of the airport industry and the international competitiveness of Guangdong Civil Aviation, and build a more complete air transport industry chain. He disclosed that Guangdong Province is preparing a civil airport development plan and a general aviation development plan in the province.

The 2013 China Airport Forum was jointly organized by China Civil Airport Association, Capital Airport Group Corporation, Shanghai Airport (Group) Co., Ltd. and Guangdong Airport Management Group Co., Ltd. About 550 representatives from more than 80 airports, airport planning and design companies, airport equipment suppliers, airlines, business jet operators and civil aviation research institutes attended the forum. According to reports, the China Airport Forum will be held regularly every year.