On November 5, CAAC and Guangdong Provincial Government signed the Framework Agreement on Promoting Strategic Cooperation for the High Quality Development of Civil Aviation in Guangdong (the Agreement) in Guangzhou. Secretary of CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee Li Xi, Guangdong Provincial Governor Ma Xingrui, and CAAC Administrator Feng Zhenglin attended the signing ceremony in which Feng Zhenglin and Ma Xingrui signed the Agreement on behalf of the two sides, respectively. The Agreement set forth the purpose, goals, detailed work, and working mechanism for the cooperation between CAAC and Guangdong Province, and clarified the mission of speeding up the construction of a world-class airport cluster in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. The Agreement is intended to promote, to the fullest extent possible, high-quality development of the civil aviation industry in Guangdong Province and give full play to the role of civil aviation transport as a driving force for the economic and social development and the deepened reform and opening up in Guangdong Province.
The Agreement states clearly the necessity to speed up the construction of a world-class airport cluster in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. To strengthen top level design, CAAC will deliver proactive support and assistance to Guangdong Province in producing, in accordance with the highest standards, a high quality development plan for the construction of a world class airport cluster in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, in a bid to build in conjunction with Hong Kong and Macao an integrated airport cluster characterized by resource sharing, clear division of labor, complete function and coordinated development. Efforts will be made to improve the layout of civil transport airports in Guangdong Province, optimize and adjust the layout and airspace structure of the civil and military aviation airports in the Pearl River Delta region, and jointly promote the construction of air traffic control support facilities.
The Agreement proposes to focus on enhancing the competitiveness of Guangzhou and Shenzhen airports as international aviation hubs. To this end, efforts shall be made to further improve the infrastructure at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport by stepping up the preparation for the Phase III expansion project and the construction of cargo hub facilities at Baiyun Airport, further boost the airport’s function as an international transfer hub, and build an integrated urban transportation hub centered around the airport; actively expand the coverage of the route network at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to create an international transport corridor connecting China with Europe, North America, Oceania, Africa and South America and build an internationally competitive transfer hub. Also, efforts shall be made to strengthen the role of Shenzhen Bao’an Airport as an international aviation hub by supporting Bao’an Airport in adding new and additional international routes and actively expanding its international route network mainly serving the Asia-Pacific region and connecting China with Europe and North America, and by further improving the domestic medium and long distance truck air route network to/from the airport. The two sides will ramp up policy support, jointly coordinate with the joint inspection authority at airport, support the introduction of more policies aimed at InterAirlines Through Check-in to further improve customs clearance efficiency at hub airports.
The Agreement makes it clear that airport resources should be integrated and optimized to achieve coordinated development. In this respect, efforts shall be made to strengthen the integration of airport resources in Guangdong Province, and further clarify the functions and strategic roles of Guangzhou Baiyun, Shenzhen Bao’an, Zhuhai and Huizhou airports to form a pattern of coordinated development featuring clear roles, harmonization and complementarity. Also, efforts shall be made to further deepen cooperation in civil aviation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and promote practical cooperation between Guangdong on one side and Hong Kong and Macao on the other side in airport and supporting facilities, airport operation and management, aviation logistics, general aviation, aviation maintenance and other areas to achieve connectivity.
The Agreement calls for vigorous support to the development of general aviation industry and airport economy in Guangdong. To achieve this, Guangdong Province will holistically set aside a functional area for general aviation in the newly built, reconstructed and expanded hub and feeder airports, build pilot FBOs at the selected eligible airports, and develop plans on the establishment of a number of GA airports in Guangzhou, Foshan, Dongguan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing and other cities; accelerate the development of airport economic demonstration zones in Guangzhou and Shenzhen and the construction of an Aviation Industry Park in Zhuhai, and foster and build a number of unique industry bases and aviation towns in the vicinity of airports, to actively fuel the development of airport economic zones. It’s also made clear in the Agreement that the two sides will deepen cooperation in the joint management of the Guangzhou Civil Aviation College, in order to create a high-level vocational college with its distinctive disciplines. To this end, support will be given to the construction and renovation of the three College Campuses respectively in Huadu district, near the Airport Road and close to Baiyun Airport, and to the activities conducted by the college to improve education quality, enhance science and technology research capability and build a qualified group of teachers, in line with relevant policies of Guangdong Province, with the objective of improving the capacity of nurturing civil aviation talents and providing a more solid talent support for China’s initiative to build herself into a strong civil aviation country.
