[photopress:air_shanghai_airport.jpg,full,alignright]The English phrase for it is a pig’s breakfast.
As reported in these columns the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) has implemented the Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) standard, increasing the flight lanes in the height between 8,400m to 12,500m from the original 7 to 13. This effectively doubles the airspace available.
It provides airline companies more flight route resources (they will be applying for more routes), but also puts a lot of pressure on airports.
Meanwhile, just as this was coming in to play airspace controls disrupted the travel plans of thousands of air passengers traveling to and from Shanghai.
These were controls which appear to have been applied by the General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC).
Li Jingao, an official with CAAC East China Air Traffic Management Bureau based in Shanghai. said, ‘The controls will be removed on Sunday.’ And apparently this is the case.
But why were these new controls applied in the first place and what was the reason?
CAAC East China Air Traffic Management Bureau, operating as if it were still in an earlier era, refused to divulge the reason for the imposition of the controls.
All that is known is that it came at the behest of the PLA which controls these matters. At least 40 flights were delayed at Shanghai’s two airports, Pudong and Hongqiao, on Friday, including flights bound for Hong Kong, Harbin, Dalian and Chongqing.
Li Jingao, said, ‘More flights are departing now to make up for the previous delays and this has increased pressure on the airports that are already operating at full capacity.’
More than 150 flights were delayed in Shanghai and about 7,000 passengers were affected during the first two days of the airspace controls.
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