The Civil Aviation Administration of China has released a draft regulation which would open up some long-haul routes into and out of the country, reports Caixin Global. Under the new proposal, routes that are currently limited to one carrier would be opened up to competition by domestic carriers.
Currently, 95% of allocations are restricted to "one route, one Chinese carrier". The new rules would allow private and state-owned carriers to bid on routes that are monopolised under the incumbent system. They are part of the CAAC's commitment to enhance international aviation competitiveness.
As part of the reforms, long-haul routes would be classified into two types, depending on how open the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) is with the destination country. Open or partly open routes will be unrestricted on the number of carriers, routes and capacity. All other routes will only be partly restricted, with long-haul routes open to more than one carrier.
A source quoted by Ciaxing says that CAAC expects to open more international routes to Chinese carriers.
China's aviation industry is growing at an extraordinary rate. IATA forecasts that China will be the largest passenger market in the world by 2024, when it will overtake the US, and that by 2035 it will be transporting 1.3 billion passengers.
