The Chinese Government has delivered an unexpected Christmas present by agreeing to add another 200 international air routes in 2016.

 

According to the Xinhua News Agency, Xinuanet, the Civil Administration of China is committed to the new programme, with China’s official news agency referring directly to The China Daily newspaper’s coverage of remarks made by Li Jiaxiang, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

 

Xinuanet reports that Jiaxiang told this month’s Beijing civil aviation industry conference that these new routes will be in addition to the existing 660-plus approved international bi-lateral agreements between China and its foreign partners.

 

 

He said these new initiatives will be based around the highly strategic ‘One Belt, One Road’ (OBOR) initiative announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013.

 

This consists of new preferred-status free-trade agreements with 65 countries (as opposed to the previous 12) on a line from China to Europe, linking multiple points in Asia and Africa.

 

He also predicted that this new initiative should provide yet another strong stimulus to China’s civil aviation sector, although he also apparently warned that pressures on existing infrastructure and air traffic control congestion need to be addressed.

 

It is hardly any secret that Chinese air space is already highly congested, with the Civil Administration of China routinely juggling its ability to expand new air corridors without encroaching on the automatic priority given to military-controlled air space corridors.

 

As a result, delays at the country’s airports are now the norm rather the exception.