An article in the May 14th issue of The Economist argues that, “rookies are needed if China wants its aviation industry to thrive.” China’s civil-aviation industry is surging, but with bureaucratic restrictions stifling the huge field of “general aviation,” from crop to corporate and cargo planes, China is unduly restricting the field that accounts for the largest number of flights, as well as the training of essential aviation professionals and the development of infrastructure such as airfields for better networked regional cities and “more efficient point-to-point transport.” Without this infrastructure, the article points out, China’s growth (and thus investment) prospects are limited. But, as is usually the case involving China, some entrepreneurial expat – in this case, French film producer and pilot Jean Chapolin – plans to turn experience with “navigating the bureaucracy” into a lucrative “scheme.” And, as is usually the case with The Economist, “in the long term, however, aircraft manufacturers reckon that China will be a promising market.”
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