The Chinese mainland will need to add more than 2,800 passenger aircraft and cargo aircraft with a total value of more than $329 billion, meaning a three-time increase in the number of passenger aircraft and 11-fold increase in the number of cargo aircraft.

The additional aircraft needed by the Chinese mainland will take up 11.6% of the global passenger and cargo aircraft demand (24,000) for the same period. This will make China the second largest aviation market with the United States retaining first position.

According to this forecast, the additional aircraft in the Chinese mainland will include 1900 single-aisle aircraft, about 700 twin-aisle aircraft and 190 super large aircraft.
Source: English People’s Daily Online

The new Northwest Airlines service will use Airbus A330-200s equipped with 32 business-class seats and 211 economy-class seats.

Joel Chusid, North American general manager for Hainan Airlines, whose new Seattle-Beijing service begins next month, said, ‘This just validates the fact that Seattle has become a major gateway to the Pacific. Competition is competition, but we understand it. It just speaks to the vibrancy of the market.’

Last year, about 69,000 passengers flew between Seattle and China, not including passengers connecting through Seattle from other cities. By 2009, that number is expected to nearly double.
Source: The Seattle Times

The airport, located in southeast China’s Fujian province just across from Taiwan, is looking at various options, including transforming itself into an air cargo hub for flights to Taiwan.

However, we are still at the tentative stage. It has not yet entered into concrete negotiations with air companies from Taiwan.

The state-owned airport group was well positioned for closer cooperation with Taiwanese carriers as it had been taking chartered flights between Taiwan and the mainland for years.

The incoming government of Taiwan president-elect Ma Ying-jeou seems to be leaning towards July 4 for the start of the first regular direct charter flights between China and Taiwan in this new relationship.

Currently, only holiday services are allowed on passenger charter flights, and cargo flights are conducted on a case-by-case basis. Soon — how soon and by whom remains to be decided — there will be regular flights. It will come as no surprise to anyone that American airlines are demanding that they be allowed in on this route citing the open skies policy. Logic tells us this is unlikely.
Source: AFP

Cai Jianjiang, Air China’s president, said the company had invested RMB568 million (about $81 million) to improve its ground control system and train employees.

The company had recruited 300 new stewards and selected 562 volunteers from current staff to work for the Games.

The new center would facilitate the coordination between the airline and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), and other key units at the Beijing Capital International Airport.
Source: China View

The CAAC evaluated the performance of the A320 FFS at the Flight Training Center of the Training Department of Air China Southwest Branch. The full-flight simulator, with a value amounting to more than RMB150 million, was formally put into operation after the approval of the CAAC.

Air China Southwest Branch currently owns and operates one A320 FFS, one A320 Flight Training Device, and one B737-300 FFS.

The branch airline has established an advanced and all-weather flight training base with an investment of RMB270 million.

The addition of the A320 FSS advances the airline’s level of flight training for the west plateau air route into a new stage. The great advantage of a simulator is that it can be worked pretty much around the clock. China has a great need for pilots. One way of helping ease that need is to get a lot more simulators into action so that pilots can train up rapidly. Especially in the new co-operative cockpit drills.
Source: China Civil Aviation

Air Berlin will operate the routes with Airbus A330s equipment.

Air Berlin stated that after the Olympic Games, the carrier will be focusing on business travelers, upgrading the existing Business Class to Premium Business Class from November 8.

Furthermore, the partnership arrangement with Hainan Airlines means that Air Berlin passengers will be able to book connecting flights to all major Chinese airports.

From Beijing alone, Hainan Airlines operates to 50 cities in China. In return, Hainan Airlines will be operating non-stop flights from Beijing to Berlin from September 5, with Air Berlin providing the feeder and connecting flights in Germany and Europe.
Source: Peanuts Online

Tian Baohua, president of the Beijing-based Civil Aviation Management Institute of China said, ‘The current situation is, you need all the pilots to fly to meet the demand.’

The typical captain of a state-owned airline such as China Eastern makes about $45,000 a year and co-pilots half that. By Chinese standards, that’s good money. But comparable aviators at China’s private airlines can earn at least 50% more. Not an excuse but it should be mentioned.

But the problem is only partly pay. Many pilots say their biggest complaint is a punishing work schedule.
Under Chinese regulations, airlines are supposed to give pilots two consecutive days of rest a week. But pilots say managers routinely work them six days a week and deny them other time off, which they argue leads to fatigue and raising safety concerns.

In most other countries the airline management responsible for such action would end up in durance vile.

A 35-year-old China Eastern captain surnamed Wu said, ‘In one seven-month period, I had not even one successive 48 hours off.’

That is totally inexcusable and, if proved true, the management responsible deserves severe disciplinary action. For they are playing with people’s safety in the air and ultimately with their lives.

The pilot concerned recently tendered his resignation out of frustration about his own schedule.

China Eastern, one of the nation’s big three carriers, along with Air China and China Southern, declined to comment.

You can understand that. To admit they operate under those conditions would be to say they were putting passengers lives at risk.

Approximately 200 pilots, including about 70 at China Eastern, have taken steps to end labor contracts with their employers. That’s a fraction of the more than 10,000 pilots in China, but many others would consider quitting or changing carriers if they could afford it.

Most signed lifetime contracts with airlines, which traditionally have footed the bill for pilot school and training. That can run to $100,000 per person.

Reluctant to let their investments go, airlines are demanding that pilots pay as much as $1 million to leave.

Analysts fault airlines and the government for letting things get out of hand.

Plainly something must be done. And done very quickly. Even if it means cutting back on flights.
Source: Baltimore Sun

China is now the second most-served LCC market worldwide. With 14 low-cost carriers like Home to Lucky Air and Deer Jet, United Eagle and Okay Airways serving mainland China, the country hosts just one fewer LCC than does the US.

There’s a similar category where China doesn’t even figure on the list — and where the dominance of the United States is totally without challenge. From ValuJet to Eastwind, from Song to Hooters Air, the US is home to the greatest number of defunct low-cost carriers anywhere on earth.

Globally, some 38 LCCs have gone bust since the business model was first introduced nearly six decades ago; 24 of those business failures took place in the US. None of them happened in China.

The rise of China’s LCC market, especially compared to the US, makes a lot of sense given macroeconomic conditions in both countries. China has a population of 1.3 billion and an economy that expanded by 11.4% last year alone.
Source: Gulf News

It aims to increase the percentage of its revenue derived from international operations from the current 19% to 25%-30% in the next five years while expanding its fleet from 332 aircraft at Dec. 31, 2007, to 400 by 2010.

However, Chairman Liu Shaoyang said, domestic consolidation likely is necessary to maximize international competitiveness. He said Beijing is considering a reorganization of the domestic airline industry but a decision will not be made this year as carriers concentrate on August’s Olympic Games.

Last month he proposed a China Air Holding Co. that would hold stakes in China Southern, Air China and China Eastern Airlines and also would ‘be able to make investments in foreign carriers as well as conduct internal integration.’
Source:

This means the airport is expected to build one more runway and tower further cementing its position as one of the key airports of China.

The project report suggests the capacity expansion is aimed to reach a final figure of 40 million passengers and about 300,000 aircraft coming and going.

The newly-constructed runway will extend to 3,300 meters, 60 meters in width; and the new tower will cover an area of 364,000 sq meters. Price is estimated to be RMB13.928 billion.

There will also be a further investment of RMB 450 billion yuan in the expansion of domestic airports.

By 2020, the number of China’s civil aviation airports will grow to 244, of which 97 will be newly-built.
Source: English People’s Daily Online