Time to hunker down for Chinese airports

With China’s domestic travel industry growing exponentially, airports in the country will need to find ways to expand under the tide of rapid expansion. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation has analyzed research into China’s airport sector and Chief Operating Officer Derek Sadubin says,

“The CAAC has recently announced plans to develop 43 new airports by the end of 2010, for a total of 190, increasing to 244 by 2020. This scale of airport development is unmatched anywhere on the globe. But finding the funding will not be easy, with the burden likely to fall on the provincial governments. There is also the reality that airport development in China in recent years has not kept pace with the official targets. The number of airports open to civil operations in China has stagnated in recent years – and the ambitious targets set by the CAAC could prove difficult to achieve”.

The problem with provincial governments footing the bill is that most of China’s smaller airports actually lose money, and the bigger hubs have to keep them afloat; but with the undeniable growth, the new airports are sorely needed.