The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) announced on April 23 that it was doing an ADS-B technology application test to provide technical support for low-flying aircraft in preparation for the lifting of a ban on privately-owned low-flying aircraft.

According to "Beijing Business Today", in some economically developed areas of China there is a demand for air-based activities by both individuals and companies. Yu Zhenfa, CAAC's chief pilot, said that CAAC has developed a basic plan for this in accordance with international practice; it will regulate, monitor and assist three types of low-flying aircraft. Yu said that this will give CAAC, aircraft owners and China's pilot association (AOPA-CHINA) more advantages.

At present, there are around 70 private planes in China. The world average ratio of airplanes overall to privately-owned aircraft is 1:9, but in China, it is just 20:1. The cost of a private aircraft is reportedly between 1 and 10 million yuan. Statistics show that there are more than 300,000 people in China whose minimum net worth is one million yuan.

By People's Daily Online