According to Yang Guoqing, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) deputy administrator Beijing Capital International Airport this month will receive 1,500 flights and 260,000 passengers daily , setting new records in the airport’s history.

Most Olympic delegations and spectators have already started to arrive so that  the number of flights of both arriving pre-the Games, and departing afterwards have been increased  by one fifth compared with normal days.

The Capital Airport expects to receive 100 special flights for state leaders, 160 chartered flights and 1,000 business aircraft flights. Busiest time will be August 6 to 11, with Aug. 7 the peak.

Beijing is prone to thunderstorms in early August but four alternative airports exist in the northern cities of Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan and Hohhot. Each will have 100 parking bays ready for alternative landings.
Source: China View

The Yunnan provincial government and Grand China Air — which is partially owned by billionaire financier George Soros — have agreed to establish Yunnan Airlines, a joint venture airline that will challenge China Eastern Airlines’ dominance of the Yunnan air travel market.

The announcement comes at a time when air travel in Yunnan and elsewhere in southwest China is expected to continue its rapid growth and Kunming is building what will be one of China’s largest airports. The one in the illustration below is the current one.

The news also came shortly after state regulatory body the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) stripped Shanghai-based China Eastern of several air routes in Yunnan — including flights to Dali and Xishuangbanna — after an apparent mid-air strike by pilots in March of this year.

The company is still awaiting regulatory approval from the central government — which is likely, given that a provincial government will be a stakeholder in the company.

Despite the potential conflict of interest, the Yunnan government released a statement in which it said that in addition to Yunnan Airlines’ plans to establish its hub in Kunming it hopes that other airlines including China Eastern’s Yunnan subsidiary will further develop their operations in Kunming.

Yunnan Airlines will start out with a fleet of at least 30 aircraft.
Source: Go Kunming

Beijing has opened a huge new $3.6 billion airport terminal ahead of the expected influx of millions of visitors to this summer’s Olympics, part of a multi-billion infrastructure boost for the capital.

So far it has had none of the disasters that have so marred the opening of London Heathrow’s Terminal 5.

The impressive Beijing terminal’s nearly 3-km (2-mile) long concourse is divided into three sections and connected by a shuttle train. The new terminal will boost capacity at the airport to 76 million passengers compared with the 52 million who used the airport last year.

The government is also busy opening new subway lines and roads, as part of a $40 billion project to revamp and modernize Beijing in preparation for the Olympics.

The new airport terminal is supposed to resemble a dragon, complete with triangular windows cut into the ceiling as though they were scales. It was designed by British architect Norman Foster, who also designed Hong Kong’s Chep Lap Kok airport.

A train link, to open before the Olympics, will take passengersdowntown in about 15 minutes on the 28 km line, and the high-tech baggage system will handle 19,800 bags per hour.

It has almost double the number of boarding gates of the old terminals and nearly 300 check-in desks. However, China’s civil aviation regulator continues to berate airlines and airports for their poor treatment of passengers and is desperately trying to get them to raise standards ahead of the flood of visitors who will come for the Olympics.

Beijing airport was ranked only 62nd in 2006 in an Airports Council International survey of passenger satisfaction levels despite being the ninth busiest in the world in terms of passengers handled.
Source: The Gazette

All planes leaving and landing at the Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) must use English in wireless communication with ground controllers from May 5, 2010.

This seems a sound, nay essential, move. On YouTube there are clips of pilots on China based aircraft landing in the United States and their English is, politely, not of the best.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a statement on its website that at least 30% of the flights must switch from Chinese to English from May 5 this year and no less than 60% must do that a year later.

The statement quoted CAAC deputy director Li Jian as saying at a conference, ‘Many foreign airlines have complained they couldn’t precisely judge their planes’ position in the air because of failing to understand the talk between Chinese pilots and air traffic controllers in their mother tongue, which led to hidden safety problems.’

He said the problems might worsen as airlines were expected to add flights to Beijing after Terminal 3 was opened in the run-up to the Olympic Games.
Source: Trading Markets

Beijing Capital International Airport has held its last and largest drill before the trial operation starts February 29.

More than 8,000 passengers participated in the three-hour drill, checking in more than 7,000 pieces of luggage on 146 domestic and international flights.

Organizers said the main purpose of the drill was to test procedures of departure, arrival and transfer, as well as VIP security.

Most participants were university students and other volunteers selected by an online survey. The number of flights involved was nearly double that in the previous drill and was close to the estimated daily average expected when the terminal goes into operation.

Six airlines will use Terminal 3, including Sichuan Airlines, Shandong Airlines, Qatar Airways, Qantas Airways, British Airways and El Al Israel Airlines.

After Terminal 3 ís opening, the airport will have the capacity to carry 82 million passengers annually, against the present 35 million. The expansion cost RMB27 billion ($3.65 billion).
Source: Shanghai Daily

According to provincial transport bureau sources East China’s Jiangsu Province has serious plans about expanding air routes to and from the area.

Pan Yonghe, the transport bureau director, said the plan is to open more than 40 air routes and carry 13 million passengers in 2008. 30 of the air routes will be linked to domestic cities, with the rest overseas.

To deal with this increase in passengers the province will spend RMB400 million (about $53.3 million) in building a new airport in Huai’an City which should be finished this year , and in expanding three others, including the Nanjing Lukou International Airport.

Are the figures quoted likely?

Last year, the province’s airports handled 10.76 million passengers. That is an increase of 30.3% over 2006 so, yes, it is very likely.

Since 1978, Jiangsu has been a hot spot for economic development, and is now one of China’s most prosperous provinces.
Source: Window of China

China plans to build 97 new airports by 2020. China’s General Administration of Civil Aviation said the $89 billion undertaking over the next 12 years will bring the total number of civilian airports in China to 244, up from 147 in 2006.

The new airports will be built in five main regions of the country — north, east, south-central, south-western and north-western.

When the expansion is complete, it would mean that 82 percent of China’s population — expected to hit 1.45 billion people by 2020 — would be living within 100km — or a 90-minute drive — of an airport.

Currently, about 60% of the popularion lives with this range.
China’s air passenger volume rose by 15.3% to 51.9 million in the third quarter of 2007, and air freight volume increased by 11.5% to 1.05 million tons.
Source: CargoNews Asia and
Bloomberg

The China Daily — so you can take it as official — reports China has ordered domestic airlines to reduce delays and improve service around August’s Beijing Olympics or face penalties.

Among other possible penalties one that could really hurt is that airlines that fail to improve performance could be barred from expanding services for two years. Scrutiny will be intensified from July to September nd airlines have fair warning of what is expected.

It is, in truth, asking an awful lot.

China’s airlines and airports have struggled with soaring demand for passenger and cargo services amid the country’s economic boom. Despite increases in airline fleets and new airports, air traffic corridors have become clogged around major cities and hubs.

The situation is not helped by the fact that total control of the air rests with the PLA which, perhaps understandably, has a tendency to regard the skies as being an arena in which they allow domestic airlines to operate. And sometimes, quite arbitarily, can withdraw that permission for a period of time which can range from minutes to even more than a day.

Then there are the airports.

Beijing’s overcrowded airport, the world’s 9th busiest, will open a new US$4.6 billion terminal and runway this year to cope with the demand. And, in truth, it will only just be enough for the Olympics.

The Civil Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to stop overbooking flights and keep one or two planes on standby at six key airports in case of delays. Which means, practically be definition, that the airlines are going have to turn customers away. Which will be very difficult.

To make it even more difficult the aviation regulator has also extended a penalty measure introduced last year allowing it to cancel flights that are regularly delayed.

It looks like being a difficult summer for the airlines.
Source: Canadian Press

Air China will begin using the newly constructed Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital Airport in March 2008. Which will give plenty of time for all the small problems — no new airport has ever opened without problems — in plenty of time for the Olympic Games for which it will be the main supporting building.

The one million square-meter Terminal 3 project also includes a 3,800-meter-long by 60-meter-wide runway, which will accommodate the Airbus A380, the largest aircraft in the world. Terminal 3 will double the current passenger capacity of the Beijing Capital Airport by 2015.

Mrs. Lan Zhang, senior Vice President of Air China, said, ‘Air China is proud to be the flagship tenant in Beijing’s fabulous new Terminal 3. Our familiar customers will benefit from the move to this new facility, and our new passengers joining for the 2008 Olympic Games will also be pleased with their state-of-the-art experience here in Terminal 3.’

The new Li-Tian highway will run north of the airport, while the airport railway connects the city to the airport. Passengers may take the city railway from Dongzhimen to the airport transportation center, located at the south side of Terminal 3. The airport will also provide 7,000 parking spaces next to the Terminal 3 building.

Terminal 3 will serve Air China — China’s flagship air carrier — and its alliance airline companies, as well as foreign airlines. The project took three years and nine months to complete. It covers an area of approximately 1 million square meters.
Source: Forbes and People’s Daily Online

Air China, the nation’s largest airlines company, expects the new schedule that the Beijing Capital International Airport will adopt in 2008 will help the air carrier gain an even bigger market share in the airport.

Zhang Lan, vice president of Air China, said that from next April, the Capital Airport will add 200 flights everyday to its schedule and will put aside 60% of them for Air China.

Moreover, Air China will join hands with the Star Alliance to integrate resources to enhance the utilization of the T3 terminal of the Capital Airport, which will start operation before the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Ms. Zhang forecasts that the natural growth of China’s air transport market will reach 17.91% in 2008, while the coming Olympics will bring additional increase of 5% to 6%. Now, Air China is busy in clinching key customers for the game.

When joining Star Alliance on December 12, 2007, Air China expects to get vigorous support from the global largest airlines union, which covers 853 cities in 157 countries — about 26% of the world’s airlines market.

However, Air China still has problems with inflight crew and punctuality with complaints reaching an unacceptable level. This is something Ms. Zhang says is being attended to.
Source: Trading Markets