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Fasten Your Seatbelts: China Pledges To Build Ninety-Seven New Airports
By Paul Midler | January 27, 2008
While the investigation of the Boeing 777 crash carries on, China has announced a progressive plan to build 97 new airports in just twelve years. So many airports! I am sure they would require quite a number of new aircraft. That would be great for Boeing…unless of course the aircraft manufacturing suggests that China had something to do with the crash.
We don’t know whether this is about government officials ‘playing the China game’, or whether this is mere coincidence, but in any case it is impossible to imagine Chinese government officials just sitting on their hands while awaiting the results of an investigation of this nature.
Topics: China |
January 28th, 2008 at 11:57 am
These 97 new airports would be to replace the dilapidated new-yet-old “international” airports at such hubs as Xiamen and Zhuhai??
Talk about super testosterone, white bull elephants!
January 28th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Maybe they can put one of those airports in Guangzhou.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Don’t you remember Paul? GZ already has a brand new Int’l Airport in place (with 3rd world amenities).
I think Dongguan and Jiangmen could sure use airports, though…
January 28th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
I wouldn’t say that the airport is anywhere near Guangzhou. It takes 45-50 minutes to get there on a good day. And new rules require that passengers show up 45 minutes in advance. I have typically had to leave two hours in advance for a domestic flight that lasted under an hour. It’s nuts…
January 29th, 2008 at 12:25 am
Personally I think it’s one of the few projects in China that didn’t get it wrong (in some ways)!
Most times, it’s 30 mins to/from the airport (in my experiences)…there are numerous buses to choose from at 17-20 kuai a ride (so you don’t have to deal with scumbag taxi drivers)…and it’s one of the closest Int’l airports to city center I’ve seen in China. Probably no more inconvenient than any U.S. airport, that’s for sure!
They just need to unfuck the amenity/software issues. I heard the management companies for both the HK and Frankfurt airports were bidding to manage the GZ airport and in the end, both were told “thanks, but no thanks.” I guess GZ still wants that wet market atmosphere as a first impression for int’l travellers…
January 30th, 2008 at 3:40 am
Hunxuer: What would Dongguan do with an airport? (Full disclosure: I live in Dongguan year-round.) Shenzhen’s airport is less than an hour away from the main part of Dongguan and Guangzhou’s is about an hour and a half. If Dongguan had an airport, people would still go to SZ and GZ for lower fares; plus you can get a direct international flight to anywhere from Hong Kong.
The article suggests the purpose of this is to put airports in reach of people who don’t already have 3 major airports within 100 km of their homes. Which makes sense; ironically, people are better served by fewer airports in one area. Fewer airports serving one area means more flights, which means more competition, which means lower prices.
January 30th, 2008 at 5:23 am
The idea of more airports set up as the article suggests makes good sense actually, and I suspect there’s plenty of cities that meet the criteria. Last year I had to visit a factory in Northern China, trip was a flight into Beijing, then a 4 hour drive.
After that, the next step would be smaller general aviation type airports, same type as say a Van Nuys which while the 7th busiest airport in U.S. has no scheduled air traffic. Most smaller cities in U.S. have such airports, one runway, small terminal and maybe a couple of flights a day, either turboprop or small regional jet.
While I agree that Dongguan doesn’t need a large airport, it could benefit from a small GA airport, once GA became more popular.
January 30th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Mike S: Did you not read my entirely tongue-in-cheek way of writing how Dongguan needs an airport?
Naturally it would be a vanity white elephant project for the full blown, yet underground sex tourism trade going on there. Soon DG will rival The Philippines and Thailand in inbound Japanese and German “tourists”, no?
It was a J O K E ;^)
January 31st, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Hunxuer:
I got it!!! Put airport in Dongguan, with runways big enough for A380, and have the worlds largest flying Karoke parlor. Patrons can join the Mile High Club in style! Airport would have direct train service from Changping train station.
And line the runways with 100,000rmb African Palm trees to match the ones in the central square.
Now looking for investors!
February 2nd, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Haha, no I totally missed the sarcasm.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:25 am
This sounds like a lot, and it is, but keep it in perspective. There are a couple of hundred airports in China. There are almost 5000 in the USA.
There is virtually no general aviation industry in China.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:44 am
Oh God…could you imagine the advent of general aviation in China (they fly as they drive)???
The thought makes me want to invest heavily in ChinaRail!!!!
February 9th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
I think China goes with JAA standards, which is much tougher than FAA standards. Also, with the almost continuous haze, most if not all pilots would have to be IFR rated to make the whole venture worth while.
February 17th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
I agree completely with Hunxuer. Think of the comedy video you could make of 500 Chinese GA pilots all flying their finals at the same time with the “me first” mentality and the “rules apply to everyone except me” mentality that they bring to their driving.
Living in Zhongshan, I ould love to see an airport built in Jiangmen. Do any arilines actually fly out of Zhuhai?