Collegiate Aviation in China: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

The rapid growth of the aviation industry in China over the last ten years has led to a dramatic shortfall in supporting personnel and infrastructure. By 2010, the need for commercial pilots, in particular, is predicted to far outstrip current levels of production. Chinese officials have focused on collegiate aviation programs as a primary source of new pilots for their evolving aviation industry, but those institutions are already hard pressed to meet the demand. This paper examines the current structure of collegiate aviation in China as well as challenges for production growth that include the absence of a general aviation culture, insufficient national aviation idhwtructure, and endemic airspace constraints. Introduction In the past decade, the rapid economic development of China has drawn significant western attention and provided great opportuuity for providers of technical and managerial expertise. This opportunity is especially significant within the commercial aviation sector. Currently, there are approximately 11,000 Chinese pilots flying more than 800 aircraft in commercial service (Hartman, 2006). Industry forecasts predict that the number of commercial aircraft in China will grow to more than 1600 in the next five years, with a corresponding need for additional flight personnel (Wu & Sun, 2005). Boeing and Airbus have become particularly interested in the Chinese market and are working to assist in the development of aviation idhstmcture. The current five year plan for airport construction includes 7 1 airport expansions, 49 new airports, and 1 1 airport relocations ("China has," 2006). Although air transportation in China has significantly improved in the last 25 years with the implementation of a hub and spoke system, rapidly expanding aircraft inventories and a "lke flight? structure have had particular impact in eastern China where the air traflic has increased by 30 percent in 2005 alone ("Eastern China," 2006). Although much of Chinese airspace is controlled by the military (who have also previously supplied the bulk of pilots for commercial aviation), the rapid increase in commercial aircraft inventories and operations is already taxing both the air traffic control structure and commercial pilot production capability. During the h t quarter of 2007, 17 domestic Chinese airlines planned to fly more than 26,000 flights per week (Airbus, 2006). To support this level of activity, Boeing predicts that China will need approximately 6,500 JAAER, F d 2007 new commercial pilots within the next six years (Chao, 2006). Chinese forecasts for the same period show the need for an additional 12,000 pilots, 6,400 aviation maintenance personnel, and 1,700 ATC personnel (Wu & Sun, 2005). Since the reform and open-door policy adopted by Chinese government in the late 1970s, the Chinese Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has experienced strong growth, fiom 362.4 billion RMB in 1978 to 2076.8 billion RMB ($25 1 billion US) in 2004 (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2006). During this process of industrialization, the structure of Chinese society also has undergone tremendous change. About 98 million peasants were leaving their fields in the countryside to seek traditional employment in cities in 2004, compared with only 15 million doing so in 1990 (Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, 2004). Such societal change has given rise to a seasonal nationwide migration pattern, the peak of which normally coincides with national holidays and has had a significant impact on the whole transportation industry, including railway, highway, waterway and commercial aviation. One result of this change is that commercial aviation in activity in China increased nearly six fold fiom 1991 to 2004 (see Table I), highlighting future challenges for this industry.