中国拟向私人飞机开放4000米以下空域 China to open airspace for civil aviation

China plans to open its airspace below 4,000 metres to civilian aircraft, a decision likely to open up one of the world’s largest untapped markets for corporate and other private aviation.

中国计划向民用飞机开放4000米以下空域，该决定有望打开世界上最大的尚未开发的商务及其它私人航空市场之一。

The Central Military Commission – which governs the People’s Liberation Army – and the State Council, China’s cabinet, said in a policy paper that low- altitude airspace would be gradually opened to private aircraft, according to people who have seen the document and reports posted on official websites.

根据看过相关文件的人士所称以及官方网站上的报道，中央军委和国务院在一份政策文件中表示，低空空域将逐渐对私人飞机开放。

Helicopters and light aircraft are virtually absent from Chinese skies because of tight military control over all airspace and regulations that require all private flights to be approved by military and civil aviation authorities, which can take weeks or longer.

目前中国的空中几乎看不到直升机和轻型飞机，原因是军方对所有空域实施严密管制，而且法规要求所有私人飞行均需得到军事和民航主管部门的批准，其过程可能需要数周甚至更长。

“Right now it is basically impossible to use general aviation aircraft in China and some aircraft owners are already pushing the envelope by flying without permission,” said Jason Liao, chairman and chief executive of China Business Aviation Group, who has been lobbying for the past decade to get Beijing to open China’s lower-altitude airspace. “This is a huge step for China and almost certainly means the country will eventually become the second-largest market in the world for general aviation aircraft like helicopters and turboprop aircraft [after the United States].”

“目前在中国基本上不可能使用通用飞机，某些机主已经在打擦边球，他们在未经许可的情况下飞行，”过去10年里一直在呼吁中国政府开放低空空域的中国公务航空集团(China Business Aviation Group)董事长及首席执行官廖学峰(Jason Liao)表示。“这对中国来说是一大步，几乎肯定意味着中国最终将成为全球第二大的通用飞机（如直升机和螺旋桨飞机）市场，仅次于美国。”

At present the PLA has the final say over the use of China’s airspace and often schedules air drills and weapons tests at short notice, disrupting commercial aviation operations and exacerbating the country’s chronic flight delays.

目前中国军方在中国空域的使用方面拥有最终决定权，军方往往在最后一刻通知：部队将进行空中演习和武器试验，这种做法扰乱了商业航空运行，加剧了中国航班延误的长期性问题。

According to the new policy paper, any aircraft flying at 1,000m or lower will be able to take off and fly without any prior approval or paperwork.

根据新的政策文件，在1000米或以下空域飞行的任何飞机，将能够在无需事先批准或申请的情况下起飞和飞行。

Aircraft flying below 4,000m but above 1,000m will be required to file a flight plan but will not need to get approval to fly.

在4000米以下、1000米以上空域飞行的飞机，将需要报备飞行计划，但无需获得事先批准即可飞行。

For years, private aircraft makers and corporate jet producers have eyed China’s booming economy and predicted it would be the world’s fastest-growing market for their products.

多年来，私人飞机和商务喷气机制造商一直看好中国日益繁荣的经济，并预计对它们的产品而言，中国将成为全球增长最快的市场。

But despite pent-up demand from the country’s new rich and from cashed up corporations, the restrictions have kept the market from living up to the hype.

但尽管中国的新富阶层和现金充裕的企业具有需求，上述限制阻止了中国市场达到人们炒作的强劲程度。

According to state media, as of the end of 2008, China had only 898 private aircraft, compared with 222,000 in the US.

据官方媒体介绍，截至2008年底，中国只有898架私人飞机，相比之下，美国拥有22.2万架。

An official at the defence ministry who asked not to be named said the reform plans did not mean the military had changed its focus on security. “The fact that our airspace can be put to better economic use is of strategic value in itself,” the official said.

中国国防部一名希望匿名的官员表示，上述改革计划并不意味着军方对安全的关注有任何改变。“我国的空域能够得到更好的经济利用，这一事实本身就具有战略价值，”这名官员表示。

Officials said such economic use of low airspace would include tourism, flight training, agricultural applications such as crop spraying, and medical rescue helicopters.

官员们表示，低空空域的此类经济利用将包括旅游、飞行训练、各种农业应用（比如向作物喷洒农药），以及医疗救援直升机。

The reports did not give a concrete timeline for the reform.

相关报道并未具体说明上述改革的时间表。