General aircraft hit low-altitude turbulence

Buying a general aircraft - planes not used by commercial airlines - is easy on the mainland, but getting it into the air is a huge task.

That's because a long-awaited liberalisation of low-altitude airspace, where general aircraft usually fly, has yet to take place.

"The low-altitude airspace is totally controlled by the air force, so our helicopters can't operate wherever there is a military operation," said Ji Wenhua, operations manager of Zhuhai Helicopter, a subsidiary of China Southern Airlines which operates the largest helicopter fleet in the nation.

A three-seat Enstrom helicopter can be bought for as low as US$541,200, while a Glasair sea-land aircraft costs US$279,000 - much cheaper than a private jet.

With more than 10 helicopters based in six mainland cities, there were conflicts between military and civil aviation daily, Ji said. One of the firm's major activities is transporting workers and resources to and from offshore oil rigs on the Bohai Economic Rim and across the South China Sea.

"Our operations to the South China Sea are disturbed by military operations more often these days," he said. The tension between China and Japan over the disputed islands in the region has made military operations more frequent in the region.