Aviation News
- China moves to relieve air-traffic jam
Date: 27-Nov-2007 Sources: (Shenzhen Daily)
THE government's move to open its skies to more civilian planes should bring some relief to travelers in a country with frequent flight delays.
The airspace regulations are being put into place before the Beijing Olympics and a planned change in the public-holiday system that would give citizens more leisure time. By halving the required vertical distance between planes in the air, China has doubled the number of aircraft that can fly at any one time, bringing its burgeoning aviation industry in line with developed-nation standards.
China's military controls the nation's skies and allows 30 percent of the airspace for passenger planes, making China one of the world's most restrictive countries in terms of aviation. Civilian planes are allowed to fly at certain levels within an altitude of 8,400 to 12,500 meters. The number of levels has now increased from seven to 13, the same number as in the United States. The change went into effect Thursday.
The General Administration of Civil Aviation said Friday that the regulations will 'greatly reduce the air and ground delays caused by the shortage of usable layers, increase air-traffic flow, improve flight-traffic jams and flight delays, and raise the efficiency of civil aviation.'
While industry observers will watch China's skies for signs of trouble under the new regime, its implementation isn't sudden. Chinese aviation authorities have approached the transformation gradually - for example, by beefing up air-traffic control systems - in an effort to minimize risks.
Many industry officials and analysts have long felt that China's extra vertical-airspace buffer has been so cautious as to be antiquated. The most recent fatal-accident rates for China were lower than America's and Europe's, despite double-digit annual growth in the number of hours China's airlines fly.
On the other hand, the nation's flight delays are frequent and often happen without clear explanations. The most recent large-scale incident began Tuesday, when airspace controls were imposed over eastern China for unspecified reasons, according to domestic media. More than 150 flights were delayed in Shanghai, affecting 7,000 passengers in the first two days. Meanwhile in Guangzhou, 1,600 passengers had their travel plans disrupted on the first day.
China's airspace may be stretched to the limit next year, as the country prepares for the Olympic Games, when 2 million domestic and international visitors are expected in the capital alone.
A government plan to expand public holidays may also test the aviation industry. The plan would increase the legal holidays to 11 from 10 and give citizens more three-day weekends, which would likely increase demand for short domestic trips.
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