On April 15, the report of the project named the Driving Force of the Civil Aviation Industry for China's National Economy was released in Beijing. This study reveals that China's civil aviation industry developed and matured rapidly, significantly increasing its contributions to the national economy, demonstrating its value and potential as a strategic pillar industry. 11 institutions including the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), and China Aviation Supplies Holding Company jointly conducted the study. Liang Nan, CAAC Deputy Administrator, and Zhang Xiaoguang, Vice President of COMAC delivered speeches at the release ceremony.
The civil aviation industry, characterized by its extensive supply chain, broad economic reach, and high added value, exerts profound influence on regional economic collaboration, international economic and trade cooperation, and emerging sectors such as low-altitude economy. It is a critical component of modern industrial system. One of the major priorities for the government, industry, and academia is scientific assessment of the industry's economic contributions, clarification of dynamics of its industrial chain and value chain, identification of key bottlenecks, and optimization of policy pathways. To act upon the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, those who work within the field will need to fully embrace the new development philosophy, leverage the aviation industry's strategic role in advancing modern industrial systems and fostering new productive forces. On April 2024, 11 institutions jointly launched this research project.
After a year of in-depth study, the project team produced a comprehensive report consisting of five sections: classification of the civil aviation industry, scale and distribution, theories and research methodology applicable for assessing economic impact, quantitative study on its contributions to China's economy, as well as relevant recommendations.
Liu Lusong, head of the project team, explained that the project involved field surveys across 31 provinces, covering 1650 entities, and collected 527 detailed data. The team collected basic information on 27000 key enterprises and institutions, established China's first civil aviation industry classification standard from a full industrial chain perspective, created a digital profile of the sector, developed the nation's first input-output table for civil aviation, and quantified the industry's economic contributions across all segments. A specific "industry map" database was also developed enabling data-driven profiling of the sector.
Based on the research findings, the project team recommended that the following actions be taken: clarify the goals of civil aviation development and intensify the efforts to build civil aviation into a strategic pillar industry; deepen understanding of the underlying principles of the industry for national economy and prioritize key growth areas; enhance policy coherence with a good command of the structural characteristics of the sector; strengthen governance capabilities to align with the demands of modern industrial system development.
