[photopress:airports_2.jpg,full,alignright]First understand clearly that these plans were formulated before fuel started moving to stratospheric heights. If prices move up much further – and there is a lot of opinion around that they will – then plainly these plans will face a major adjustment to the new aviation reality.
However, the plan includes a second international airport in Beijing, construction of which to begin before 2010. And, according the CAAC, this is just one of 97 to be built in China before 2020.
According to the plan, the number of airports nationwide will increase to 192 by 2010, and to 244 by 2020. At the end of 2006, there were 147, including 45 used for both civilian and military purposes.
This means 82 in every 100 people – who contribute 96% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) – will live within 100 km, or 90 minutes’ drive, from an airport by 2020.
According to the published plan at present, only 61% of people – who contribute 82% of GDP – lives within this range.
[photopress:airports_3.jpg,full,alignleft]The CAAC said the new airports will cost an estimated total of RMB450 billion ($64 billion).
The civil airport development plan was drafted to meet increasing demand, as the CAAC predicted passenger traffic will grow by 11.4% annually from now until 2020, during which time freight traffic will increase by 14% a year.
But that was before the rise and rise in the price of aviation gas and if oil gets to the magic $200 a barrel mark then all bets are off and these plans will need to be totally recast. If fuel remains at a reasonable price then the plan could well be followed a stated.
Source: English People’s Daily Online
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