Investment propels civil aviation

More funding of fixed assets includes new or expanded airport projects

China's civil aviation sector has increased fixed asset investment in the first five months of this year, an official with the industry's regulator said on Friday.

China's civil aviation sector completed a total of 34.3 billion yuan ($5.1 billion) of fixed asset investment from January to May, a year-on-year increase of 6.6 percent, Sun Wensheng, deputy director of the general affairs department of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said at a news conference.

By the end of May, four airports were opened to traffic, including two newly constructed in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and the other two after renovation and relocation in Guangdong and Sichuan provinces.

Other airport expansion and renovation projects such as in Chongqing and Xi'an of Shaanxi province are under construction, while projects such as the new airport in Xiamen, Fujian province began construction.

Air traffic control projects in Chongqing and Guangzhou airports have also been carried out.

In response to a question about international flights in the latter six months of this year, Liang Nan, director of the transport department of the administration, said the administration is discussing with some countries to gradually increase regular international passenger flights to cater to travel needs.

She also said that the operation of international flights is beneficial to China's economic development and the movement of Chinese and international travelers. It also serves the sustainable development of the air transportation industry.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, the administration has taken scientific, precise and dynamic measures to manage and offer international passenger flight services, effectively preventing the spread of the epidemic across borders while maintaining basic access to regular international passenger routes with 54 countries, she said.

Liang also noted that the sector has made efforts to maintain the country's unimpeded logistics after gridlock was caused by the latest outbreak of the epidemic in some areas.

She said flight scheduling has been carried out in key areas and airports, such as Shanghai Pudong and Guangzhou Baiyun international airports, that faced logistics gridlock.

The administration has improved the work mechanism to ensure smooth logistics in air transport, focusing on the operation of major airports, enhancing communication and overseeing information.

From June 9 to Wednesday, 807 cargo flights were handled on a daily basis, up 4.4 percent from the week before, administration data show.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport has been recovering, handling 215 cargo flights and 8,770 metric tons of mail and cargo every day, both about 90 percent of the volume before the latest outbreak of the epidemic.

On Wednesday, Shanghai Pudong handled 237 cargo flights and 9,834 tons of mail and cargo, a record since the latest outbreak.

Guangzhou Baiyun has handled 5,465 tons of mail and cargo every day, about the same as in the first quarter of this year.