China to relax aviation rules in Shenzhen, opening the skies to more low-altitude and cross-border flights in Greater Bay Area

China will also enhance the management of low-altitude flights in Hong Kong and Macau

China’s airspace is largely controlled by the military, even as commercial aviation has been expanding rapidly, and this can result in chronic delays for domestic flights

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Under a new plan, Shenzhen will develop various types of general aviation services, including short-distance travel options. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:30am, 28 Jan 2022Updated: 5:53am, 28 Jan 2022

China’s economic planner intends to relax restrictions in Shenzhen’s aviation sector – a move that would help integrate the Greater Bay Area’s transport network, according to experts.

As part of its latest series of reforms for the southern metropolis, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said it will “deepen” a pilot programme for low-altitude airspace management in the Greater Bay Area while also enhancing the management of low-altitude flights in Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macau.

The plan, outlined in new guidelines published on Wednesday, also said Shenzhen will develop various types of general aviation services, such as cross-border helicopter flights and short-distance travel options.

David Yu, an aviation financing expert and a professor of finance at New York University Shanghai, said the low-altitude flight management is a highlight of the plan, as it could spur growth in general aviation and private air travel.

In aviation, low-altitude flying occurs below 1,000 feet (305 metres). Helicopters, for example, can be flown at low altitudes.

China’s airspace is largely controlled by the military, even as commercial aviation has been expanding rapidly over the past decade. As a result, the restriction of airspace for civilian use has long been blamed for chronic delays in domestic flights.

“One of the things they have been trying to do is open up low-altitude airspace so there are more possibilities for general aviation – that’s one area the government is trying to push,” Yu said.