70 new airports in China by 2015
Like many other observers in and outside China, there are many concerns about the strategies for economic growth being pursued in the region. This brings me closely to asking questions about China’s recent decision to build 70 new airports and expand 100 existing airports in the next three years to cope with the rising demand for air travel.
As the Chinese become increasingly affluent and travel more, there has been a surge in demand for air travel and airports are unable to keep up with the demand. It is good that China is not ignoring the air passengers’ interaction woes with the busy Chinese airports and is handling the high traffic with adequate expansion policies so as to reap the most benefits out of this aviation boom.
However, is there really a need to build so many new airports? Can China make better use of existing airports rather than constructing new ones? Critics have stated that better use of existing airports could be achieved by specialisation (passengers only), improved runways (longer, wider, and stronger), new terminal buildings, and usage of more security equipment. This can help to save the expenses incurred from building new airports.
On the other hand, increasing the number of runways and terminals may not solve the problem since there is a limit to the air traffic that can be contained safely in a certain volume. Construction of new airports also helps to establish novelty in the country. For example, Beijing will be building a new massive airport which will contain 8 runways, by far the largest in the world, and hold up to 200 million passengers per year. As the construction completes and the hype builds up, I definitely foresee myself wanting to fly via this airport just to take a look at the world’s biggest airport hub if I ever visit Beijing.
Come join us at the 5th annual Aviation Outlook China 2012 and hear about China’s airport expansion, development and partnership. Sing up now as there is less than 3 weeks away till the event!
