Up, Up and Away!

By+Lan+Xinzhen

For international aircraft makers such as Cessna， Gulfstream， Dassault and Bombardier that have been trying to develop the general aviation business in China over the past decade， there is now cause to celebrate. An opportunity for them to fully display their prowess is fast approaching and their investment will at long last yield rewards.

This opportunity stems from the soon-tobe-released national regulations on the use and management of low-altitude airspace for general aviation. According to a business insider， the regulations will stipulate details on the designation， use and management of low-altitude airspace in China. That means after the new policy is issued， the last hurdle for private jets being able to fly in Chinas low-altitude airspace will be surmounted.

General aviation can be defined as all civilian flying except scheduled passenger airlines， and low-altitude airspace below 3，000 meters represents the major playground for this type of aviation.

To international aviation companies， Chinas general aviation market is a treasury in air that has not yet been exploited. Once the restriction is loosened， China will become the fastest growing general aviation market in the world， which will be quite tempting to potential investors.

Four years preparation

Opening up Chinas low-altitude airspace has been discussed for more than 10 years， but preparations began only four years ago.

In 2010， the Civil Aviation Administration of China （CAAC） announced guidelines for freeing up low-altitude airspace， setting the goal of opening up airspace below 1，000 meters by 2015 and airspace below 3，000 meters by 2020.

In the same year， another guideline was issued to deepen the reform of low-altitude airspace management. The guideline divides Chinas airspace into three categories： airspace subject to control， to monitoring and to reports.

Flying in airspace subject to control must be applied for in advance and directed by the air traffic management department. Flying in airspace subject to monitoring only requires the flight to be put on record and a guarantee that the aircraft can be monitored by radar and will be available for radio communication. Aircraft flying in airspace subject to reports need only inform authorities of the time of departure and landing. This is the countrys first document on the management of low-altitude airspace， with the aim of preparing for its eventual opening up.endprint

Chinas low-altitude airspace is divided into seven flight regions， namely Beijing， Shenyang of northeast Chinas Liaoning Province， Lanzhou of northwest Chinas Gansu Province， Jinan of east Chinas Shandong Province， Nanjing of east Chinas Jiangsu Province， Chengdu of southwest Chinas Sichuan Province and Guangzhou of south Chinas Guangdong Province.

In 2011， the CAAC conducted low-altitude flight tests in Shenyang and Guangzhou. With the exception of military areas， private jets in the pilot regions only needed to report their flight plans before 3 p.m. on the day prior to the planned flight. Thus， the year 2011 is referred to as the “first year of Chinas general aviation.”

Since 2012， the pilot project was extended to areas of airspace in all of the other five flight regions.

Based on the experiences of the pilot project， China issued three other documents concerning general aviation development in 2012 and 2013. Particularly according to the provisions on approval and management of general aviation missions issued in 2013， apart from nine types of general aviation missions， all other missions do not need to be approved in advance. This is considered a real stimulant to the general aviation industry. A more feasible policy of opening the low-altitude airspace has hence become possible.

The regulations on the use and management of low-altitude airspace for general aviation have been approved by the State Council， the countrys cabinet， and the designation scheme of the countrys low-altitude airspace has been intensively prepared. Moreover， construction standards for general aviation airports are expected to be issued in 2014， and detailed low-altitude charts and guidelines on the improvement of the air traffic management system will also be set up in the next one or two years.

Gao Yuanyang， Director of General Aviation Industry Research Center of Beihang University， said the opening up of Chinas low-altitude airspace below 1，000 meters by 2015 is advancing as planned. The classified management of the three categories of low-altitude airspace wont be changed， but the proportions of airspace subject to monitoring and report will be significantly increased in the future. markets， the true potential of Chinas general aviation market can be seen.

According to figures from the China General Aviation Association， China now has only 1，610 registered general aviation aircraft， while according to the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations， the United States now has 228，000 general aviation aircraft， about 140 times the figure in China.endprint

At present in China， there are only 70 airports for general aviation and about 320 temporary landing points. In contrast， there are 19，000 general aviation airports in the United States.

By the end of 2013， fewer than 4，000 general aviation pilots had registered in China， while in the United States， the number of licensed general aviation pilots surpassed 370，000.

Gao estimated that by 2020， the market size of the whole general aviation industry and its supporting industries will surpass 1 trillion yuan （$163.4 billion）. Li Chen， President of Jinggong（Beijing） General Aviation Co.， said the company is very optimistic about the private jets market. As one of the four largest general aviation companies in Beijing， Jinggong is mainly engaged in the sale of general aviation aircraft， pilot training， private missions and maintenance of private jets. According to Li， in the coming years， Chinas general aviation industry will be primed for continuous development， and infrastructure investment and construction will thus grow rapidly. There will be more general aviation companies and flying clubs across the country， and the number of general aviation aircraft will grow remarkably， stimulating the development of supporting services. In order to accelerate training of pilots， the CAAC has relaxed the requirements for private pilot licenses in 2012. Those aged 17 or above who have an education of junior middle school and above and meet the physical requirements for the Chinese driving license are eligible to apply for a private pilot license after going through 40 hours of comprehensive study and 40 hours of flight training before they sit for the final exams.

Gao said that at present a general aviation aircraft costs the same as a middle- or high-end car in China. The purchasing power in the Chinese market is not a problem， the only restriction being the current weak infrastructure for general aviation. After detailed policies of opening up the low-altitude airspace are issued and implemented， more general aviation infrastructure， such as airports and air traffic control systems， will be built across the country， pushing forward the development of the market. After that， the investment opportunities in the manufacturing， operation and maintenance of general aviation aircraft will surge.

According to figures from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of China， by July 31， 2013， there were 116 cities in the process of building or planning to build general aviation industrial parks.

Gao said that in the next 10 years， Chinas general aviation market will grow by more than 15 percent each year， and by 2020， China will require nearly 10，000 general aviation aircraft.

International general aviation aircraft makers will be the main players in Chinas general aviation market due to the limited productivity of domestic makers. Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. has sold 30 jets in China， 20 of which will be delivered in 2014-15. Canadian manufacturer Bombardier has also sold more than 100 general aviation aircraft in China. All international general aviation companies that have entered China are now ready for a robust growth in business.endprint