Time flies, and 2017 is about to close in a blink of an eye. This year, the supervision of the Civil Aviation Administration of China increased, and efforts were made to enhance passengers’ sense of gain; At the same time, technology has empowered the aviation industry, and aviation manufacturing has shown a thriving situation.
Looking back on 2017, what major events happened in China’s aviation industry, and what unforgettable moments? Let’s use eight key words together to string together this doomed extraordinary year.
Keywords: 1: Big plane
The Three Musketeers of the Big Aircraft will gather in the blue sky: C919 will fly into the sky, and the first flight of AG600 will be around the corner.
In China aviation industry, domestic passenger plane C919, amphibious plane AG600 and large transport plane Yun -20 are called "Three Musketeers". Each of them embodies the painstaking efforts of Chinese people and carries the dreams and expectations of Chinese people. And 2017 is undoubtedly a bumper year for domestic large aircraft.
On May 5th, the domestic C919 large passenger plane made its first successful flight at Shanghai Pudong Airport, which attracted worldwide attention. On November 10th, the C919 aircraft moved to Yanliang, Xi ‘an, and began to enter the next research and development flight test and airworthiness forensics.
On December 5th, the AG600 large-scale fire fighting/water rescue amphibious aircraft completed the high-speed taxiing test in zhuhai jinwan airport, and the first flight entered the countdown.
Expert comment: C919 is China’s first truly large civil aircraft, a key battle to upgrade China’s manufacturing industry and a landmark project to build an innovative country. China, a large aircraft project, has completely independent intellectual property rights, which not only breaks the monopoly of international aviation giants, but also reflects China’s progress in the field of high-tech innovation.
Keyword 2: "Black Flying"
UAV "Black Flying" Disturbs Flight Civil Aviation Administration orders real-name registration.
With the gradual rise of consumer-grade UAV industry, UAVs have rapidly changed from the original characteristics of "high threshold, strong professionalism and single use" to "low threshold, popularization, multi-function and daily use". According to the statistics of relevant departments, the number of UAVs in China has reached more than 600,000, and it is expected to rise to more than 4 million by 2020.
However, due to the increase in the number of drone brands and players, the phenomenon of "black flying" has become more and more serious. Since the beginning of this year, many airports, such as Kunming Airport, Shenzhen Airport, Mianyang Airport, Hangzhou Airport, Chengdu Airport and so on, have been disturbed by drones, resulting in the cancellation or delay of several flights, which has aroused social concern.
On May 16th, the Civil Aviation Administration of China issued the Regulations on the Registration Management of Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in real-name registration system, requiring that the owners of civil unmanned aerial vehicles must register their real names from June 1st, 2017. After August 31, unmanned aerial vehicles that are not registered in the system are considered illegal.
Expert comment: With the rapid development of civil UAV technology, UAV interferes with civil aviation flight events from time to time. Increasingly strict supervision will promote a virtuous circle of the industry. real-name registration system has opened the prelude to the standardized operation of Chinese drones, and at the same time accelerated the reshuffle of the industry.
Keywords: 3: mixed reform
The mixed reform of central enterprises continues to accelerate: the three major state-owned airlines have released big moves
On the evening of March 27th, China Southern Airlines announced that it had signed a Share Subscription Agreement with American Airlines, and American Airlines would subscribe for 270 million H shares issued by China Southern Airlines with HK$ 1.553 billion.
On April 21st, Air China of China announced that it had received a notice from its controlling shareholder, China Aviation Group Corporation, and the National Development and Reform Commission replied that it agreed to reform the mixed ownership of air freight logistics of AVIC. AVIC will start the reform of mixed ownership of air cargo logistics. Air China and some of its subsidiaries are engaged in air cargo logistics business, and the specific implementation of mixed ownership reform may involve the company and its subsidiaries.
On June 19th, the mixed reform plan of China Eastern Airlines Logistics Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines Group, ushered in a substantial start. China Eastern Airlines Logistics has diversified its shares. China Eastern Airlines Group, Legend Holdings Co., Ltd., Prologis Investment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Debon Logistics Co., Ltd., Greenland Financial Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd. and the core employees of China Eastern Airlines Logistics hold 45%, 25%, 10%, 5%, 5% and 10% of the shares of China Eastern Airlines Logistics respectively.
Expert’s comment: In recent years, the freight volume of China civil aviation has increased a lot, but the freight rate has dropped a lot, and the three major airlines have almost no profit margin. In contrast, private express companies such as SF Express, Yuantong and Shentong have set up their own cargo airlines. The global aviation logistics industry is transforming from the traditional air freight with low added value to the door-to-door integrated logistics service provider and the overall supply chain service provider with high added value of "big data+air freight+ground transportation". Through the reform of mixed ownership, the productivity of air freight can be liberated, it can be operated sustainably, and it can be bigger and stronger.
Keyword 4: Air WiFi
Civil Aviation Administration lifts the ban on aircraft using electronic equipment. Spring is coming in the air.
On September 18th, the Ministry of Transport deliberated and adopted the fifth revised Rules for the Examination and Approval of Operation Qualification of Large Aircraft Public Air Transport Carriers. Zhu Tao, deputy director of the Flight Standards Department of the Civil Aviation Administration, said at the press conference that from October, airlines can decide what kind of portable electronic equipment to use on the plane according to the evaluation results.
The regulations of the Civil Aviation Administration have triggered a heated discussion on WiFi in the air on the Internet. At present, China Eastern Airlines, Air China, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and other companies have started to test the on-board WiFi service. For example, China Eastern Airlines has realized the on-board Internet service on 70 wide-body passenger planes.
10月18日上午，东航MU5103客机在万米高空进行了党的十九大开幕会的实时直播，乘客使用空中WiFi就能聆听习近平总书记的讲话。
专家点评：政策全面开禁飞机上使用手机等便携式电子设备是一大喜事，但是政策放开不等于立刻解禁，具体推行仍需时日，旅客也切勿挑战目前“飞行全程关闭手机”的法规。后续航空公司经安全评估后放开限制，旅客们就能在巡航中使用“飞行模式”的手机看电影、听音乐。
关键词5：航班正点率
航班正点率跌入低谷 民航局出“狠招”
航班正点率作为民航整体运输质量的反映，一直是社会公众关注的焦点。数据显示，今年1-8月，全国民航航班平均正点率66.22%，同比下跌9.27%，平均延误时间30分钟，同比增加11分钟。
9月21日晚间，中国民航局发布《关于把控运行总量调整航班结构提升航班正点率的若干政策措施》，从今年冬春航季开始，对航班时刻安排进行运行总量控制和航班结构调整，确保运行安全，全力提升航班正点率。其中，首都机场和浦东机场因放行正常率多次不达标而受处罚。民航局要求其按照机场容量标准75%的目标，调减始发航班时刻数量。
In October, the normal flight rate in China reached 83.29%, a year-on-year increase of 2.39%. This is the highest normal rate for 101 consecutive months since May 2009.
Expert comment: China’s flights maintain double-digit growth every year, but the average annual increase of route mileage is only about 3%, which also makes the flight operation pressure more and more serious. In order to ensure the flight safety of civil aviation and improve the normal flight rate, the Civil Aviation Administration issued the "most stringent" flight control regulations in history to strictly control flight growth. The New Deal officially landed at the end of October, and we expect our flights to be more and more punctual.
Keyword 6: Civil aviation charter flights
"Thank the motherland"! Civil aviation chartered flights twice to help stranded passengers return home
On September 30th, China tourists trapped by the hurricane excitedly waved the national flag, ready to board a charter flight and return to the motherland. People’s Network Wang Chushe
"Thank the motherland for remembering us and taking us home!" This may be the most frequently said sentence by China tourists stranded overseas for some reason this year …
On September 18th, category 5 hurricane "Irma" ravaged the Caribbean, and the island country Dominica was hit hard. Nearly 400 Chinese personnel were forced to move to neighboring Antigua and Barbuda to wait for rescue. On the evening of September 29th, China Eastern Airlines dispatched two chartered planes to fly over the airspace of 19 countries to Vere, Antigua and Barbuda, according to the mission requirements of the Civil Aviation Administration of China to send Ming Chuan telegrams. At Bird Airport, the Chinese personnel transferred from Dominica were urgently transported back to China, with a round-trip flight distance of 34,000 kilometers.
On November 27th, due to the eruption of Agung volcano, the Indonesian Bali Wulalai International Airport was temporarily closed, leaving 17,000 China tourists stranded there. From 14: 28 on November 29th to 14: 00 on December 4th, the Civil Aviation Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Consulate General of China in Denpasar and other relevant departments coordinated the flights of China Eastern Airlines, Xiamen Airlines and China Southern Airlines to Bali, "coming empty, leaving full" to help China tourists return home.
Expert comment: In 2017, Wolf Warriors 2 was popular all over the country, and the scene of Jason Wu holding the national flag through the war zone made countless people excited. In fact, real scenes are more burning than movies. When the storms and waves of nature raze everything to the ground and individuals become so small, the welcome of the motherland is precious and exciting. As the words in the passport at the end of Wolf Warriors 2: "People’s Republic of China (PRC) citizens: When you are in danger overseas, don’t give up! Please remember that behind you, there is a strong motherland! "
Keyword 7: Tonnage UAV
The world’s first tonnage cargo drone was born. Online shopping or airdrop will come home in the future.
On October 26th, AT200, a large cargo drone, completed its first flight at Neifu Airport in Pucheng, Shaanxi Province, and the whole flight lasted for 26 minutes. This marks the birth of the world’s first tonnage cargo drone, and online shopping may be airdropped home in the future.
With a total length of 11.84 meters, a wingspan of 12.8 meters, a height of 4.04 meters and a maximum takeoff weight of 3.4 tons, AT200 is the "big guy" in the field of civil UAVs at home and abroad. Its warehouse has a volume of 10 cubic meters and a payload of 1.5 tons.
According to the R&D team of the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, AT200 is equipped with advanced flight control system and command system, which completely gets rid of the dependence on pilots and realizes the "one-button autonomous take-off and landing" of aircraft in the accusation center. The UAV flight controller only needs to monitor the on-board state, and can change the flight state by simple operation when necessary, which greatly reduces the freight cost and operation difficulty.
Expert comment: The AT200′ s short-distance take-off and landing capability has solved the take-off and landing problem of the island’s large-tonnage UAV. By adding the set-point delivery capability later, the aircraft that further improves the delivery accuracy will have broad application prospects in Southeast Asian countries along the Belt and Road Initiative. The shortage of captains has always been one of the main factors restricting the development of China’s civil aviation industry. In order to attract mature captains, some companies even offered a "transfer fee" of 5 million. The first flight of a large cargo UAV will open up new opportunities for the development of China’s civil aviation, especially air cargo.
Keyword 8: High-speed rail "forced stop" flight
"Air-ground competition" fiery high-speed rail frequently "forced to stop" direct flights
On the morning of December 6th, at Chengdu East Railway Station, a CRH3A bullet train stopped at the platform, and a touch of local gold eye shadow was particularly eye-catching. It was the first train D4252 of Xicheng High-speed Railway.
In recent years, the competition between high-speed rail and aviation has been fierce, and many routes within 800 kilometers have seen a double drop in attendance and fares, and even been forced to stop. In 2017, "open space competition" was staged again.
On April 16th, Zhengzhou-Beijing Sanyi Station went directly to the high-speed railway, and the attendance rate of passengers on the first day reached 80%. The high-speed rail passenger flow between the two places is hot. In contrast, the civil aviation market has shrunk to only one flight.
At the end of October, many passengers in Chengdu and Xi ‘an found that the previous direct flights between the two places were basically cancelled. It originally took only one and a half hours, and it took at least six hours after the transfer. Many people in the civil aviation system explained that the Xicheng high-speed railway was opened in October, and the airlines canceled all the direct flights when they made the winter and spring flight plans. Only after the cancellation did they know that the high-speed railway would be delayed.
Expert comment: In 2010, China Southern Airlines implemented the "Express Line" strategy to compete with the high-speed rail, which ended in failure. In the future, civil aviation and high-speed rail should compete in a wrong position and win-win cooperation. High-speed rail focuses on the short-and medium-distance passenger transport market, while civil aviation mainly invests in the operation of medium-and long-distance international cross-sea routes. The two sides can also carry out in-depth intermodal cooperation to jointly provide passengers with comfortable and fast travel services.
(Comment expert: Lin Zhijie, strategic planning manager of Xiamen Aviation Planning and Finance Department, responsible for civil aviation industry research, company strategic planning and business analysis. Columnist of Civil Aviation Resource Network. )
