It is pleasing to note, and possibly accelerated by the openness to foreign journalists at the Olympic Games, that the Annual Report (2007/2008) from the civil aviation authority harshly reveals the ‘clean and honest’ reparable measures needed within China’s aviationindustry.
The nearly 400-page bi-lingual report pulls no punches in the many references to anti-corruption in staff matters, and goes as far as stating that it will push forward the ‘rectifi cation of commercial bribery.’
The openness in the report also extends to their admission that, “unfavourable factors in air transport safety are to be strengthened. The shortage of talent is still serious and in particular, is professional personnel inflight operations and maintenance”.
Investing in people and equipment
Under the heading of license management it lists that in November 2007, there were a total of 14,533 pilots in China (excluding expatriates) and some 7,000 persons completed 66 conversions of various licenses. EVA Airways from Taiwan, together with China Airlines and Shanghai International Cargo has invested in flight simulators, has trained 183 pilots and maintenance personnel, while China Postal Airlines trained 21 new captains.
The country’s flight university, in 2007, saw the graduation of only 740 students as pilots, and 1,200 in ground handling.
But will there be enough flight crew available for all the new aircraft on order? The China Aviation Supplies Import and Export group, a quasi-government organisation, signed an agreement to purchase 110 Airbus 320s and a letter of intent was also taken out for the supply of 40 A330s.
Presently the national fleet stands at 1,134, of which 58 are freight aircraft, an increase of 136 from 2006. CAAC also continues to spend heavily on airports and equipment, with millions of yuan going out to suppliers and contractors. With subsidies totaling RMB150 million (US$22 million), 66snow blowers, 31 snow-ploughs, 63 de-icing vehicles, were purchased for62 airports.
The supplier for some of this was Oshkosh of the USA. Manufacturer Goldhofer from Germany delivered 22 pushback tractors to Air China Beijing in late 2007/early 2008, well in time for the expected competitors and spectators to the Olympics.
Growth in airports and carriers
The total number of airports in the country now reaches 152, with an average of five new airports being built each year. Again, millions of yuan have been spent and will continue to be spent on new facilities. The amount on the new Terminal 3 built at Beijing International for the opening of the Olympic Games reached the skies.
The authority had predicted that even with the slow down this year in the global economy, foreign trade would grow by 15 per cent, with total import and export trade climbing to US$2.4 trillion, which is slightly below the 2007 figures, although this is now in doubt with the worsening global economy. A further forecast is that by the year 2020, air travel and freight will account for 20 per cent of the entire transport system.
Cargo airlines continue to start up, the latest being Donghai Air, providing a tri-weekly service to Hong Kong from Chengdu. OKAY Airlines showed a mighty leap of cargo carried on their domestic services in northeast China; from 5,800 tonnes in 2006 to 15,400 tonnes in the following year, although the carrier is still awaiting government permission to resume services after being grounded late last year.
Shandong Taikoo Aircraft Engineering, an offshoot from the airline of the same name, is one of China’s aviation engineering companies, which has converted eight B737-400s to all freighter aircraft. China Postal Airlines, the nation’s mailman, have relocated their operational centre to Nanjing and opened routes to Japan and Korea.
Shanghai Pudong continues at number one position for the largest cargo and mails tonnage handled through main land Chinese airports, showing 2.3 million tonnes, a hike of 18 per cent from the previous year.
Chengdu’s Shuangliu International Airport was severely put to the test in the weeks following the May earthquake, with over 90 full freighters flying in with air and relief cargoes. Ground handlers reported unloading 3,600 tonnes in one 24-hour period, far exceeding their daily average of 200.
Urumqi Airport in the far northwest of China has opened routes to the former CIS, the Middle East, Pakistan and surrounding countries. High hopes for this city to become another gateway have been aided by the fact that the cargo areas were enlarged to 37,000 square meters and 10 parking bays wereconstructed purely for freighters.
