FQC Service

As China gradually opens up its low-altitude airspace, the aviation industry is embracing a new era where general aviation thrives. It is estimated that by the year 2015, the number of general aircraft in China will reach 2,500, while by 2020 the figure will break through 9,000.

In Europe and the U.S., general aviation goes hand in hand with scheduled air transport and has a huge number of supportive industries. In China, however, general aviation is still in its fledging period. According to the statistics from Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), restricted by the overall development level of general aviation, the overall economic size of the industry stood at only 12 billion yuan in 2010; as of the end of 2010, there were 1,010 general aircraft and 11,000 employees in the industry, showing a large gap between China and the developed countries. The scale of China 's general aviation was only 0.1% the size of that of the U.S.

In 2010, China 's State Council and the Central Military Commission jointly released an order to open up part of the country 's low-altitude airspace for the first time. Currently, China has launched pilot projects in its northeastern, southern central regions, as well as seven pilot cities, to open airspace below 1,000 meters to general aviation flights. Moreover, in July 2012, the government issued a series of documents in an attempt to create a favorable environment for the development of general aviation.

In accordance with the "12th Five Year Plan", China will start a nationwide construction of general aviation airports and add more than 1,000 general aircraft to the fleet. By 2015, China will have 2,500 general aircraft, and the figure is estimated to break through 9,000 by 2020.
http://www.cannews.com.cn/2012/1106/229638.html