"Oriental Weekly" reporter Wan Honglei and editor Gu Jiaxian
On September 22, 2022, a China Eastern Airlines passenger plane took off from Terminal 4 of Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport Phase III
Excavators roar, bulldozers shuttle, at the construction site of the Jiaxing Airport project, an open and flat airstrip has taken shape. Zhejiang Jiaxing is aiming at the goal of building an aviation logistics hub center in the Yangtze River Delta, and comprehensively promoting the construction of Jiaxing Airport Project and Yuantong Jiaxing Aviation Logistics Hub Project.
170 kilometers away, Jiangsu's Nantong new airport project has also made new progress. Known as Shanghai's "third airport" after Hongqiao and Pudong International Airports, Nantong New Airport is confirmed to start construction in November 2023 and is expected to be officially completed in 2026 or 2027.
From Shanghai to Jiangsu and Zhejiang, from Jiaxing to Ningbo, Nanjing and other cities, more new and expanded airport projects are in the pipeline in the Yangtze River Delta region. According to the timetable given in the "Yangtze River Delta Region Civil Aviation Coordinated Development Strategy Plan" released in 2021, by 2035, a coordinated development pattern of civil aviation will be fully completed and a win-win civil aviation development pattern will be fully built, and the world-class goal of operating scale, operational efficiency, service quality and competitiveness of world-class airport clusters in the Yangtze River Delta will be achieved.
"By 2035, the 360,000-square-kilometer Yangtze River Delta region will have 32 airports, one for every 8,900 square kilometers." Chang Chun, president of the Jiangsu Yangtze River Economic Belt Research Institute, told Oriental Weekly.
"It is extremely urgent to further optimize the functional pattern and spatial layout of the Yangtze River Delta airport cluster and build a world-class airport cluster that matches the world-class city cluster in the Yangtze River Delta." Li Xiaojin, deputy director of the China Civil Aviation High-quality Development Research Center and director of the Institute of Aviation Economics of Civil Aviation University of China, told Oriental Weekly.
Intensive construction period
In February 2021, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the Outline of the National Comprehensive Three-Dimensional Transportation Network Plan, proposing that the "world-class airport cluster" is one of the key platforms to promote the coordinated development of comprehensive three-dimensional transportation in the mainland and the connection and transformation of domestic and international transportation.
"From the comparison of business indicators, in the national aviation pattern, the Yangtze River Delta is one of the regions with the best foundation for civil aviation development, the most active market and the highest level of internationalization." Growing Spring said.
The Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration generally includes the Shanghai metropolitan area, Nanjing metropolitan area, Hefei metropolitan area, Hangzhou metropolitan area, Suxi Changdu metropolitan area and Ningbo metropolitan area, as well as some hub cities. In terms of the number of major airports, the number of civil transport airports in the Yangtze River Delta Airport Group reached 24, followed by Chengdu-Chongqing (10), Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (9), and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (7).
"From the perspective of passenger throughput of mainland airports, the Yangtze River Delta airport cluster undoubtedly ranks first among the four major airport groups." Li Xiaojin said. According to the latest "2022 National Civil Transport Airport Production Statistical Communiqué" released by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Airport Group, the Yangtze River Delta Airport Group, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Airport Group (counting the nine cities in the Pearl River Delta) and the Chengdu-Chongqing Airport Group of the four major airport groups in China completed passenger throughput of 35.682 million, 95.259 million, 53.081 million and 58.579 million respectively.
"The current market structure of the Yangtze River Delta Airport Group is: Shanghai as an international aviation hub, Pudong International Airport's share of international routes has exceeded the market share of domestic routes, and it is moving towards a global aviation hub; As core regional hubs, Hangzhou and Nanjing are increasing the pace of opening up the international market, and the route network in the Asia-Pacific region is constantly improving. Hefei, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Wuxi and Nantong, as regional aviation hubs, have a growing regional market share and a continuous improvement in the domestic route network. Li Xiaojin said.
In terms of airport scale, there are already 70 10-million-level airports in the Yangtze River Delta region (with a passenger throughput of 10 million person-times per year), namely Shanghai Pudong, Shanghai Hongqiao, Hangzhou Xiaoshan, Nanjing Lukou, Ningbo Lishe, Wenzhou Longwan and Hefei Xinqiao Airport, and Nantong New Airport will also enter the ranks of 10-million-level airports after completion.
On June 29, 2022, the take-off and landing transportation of Ningbo Lishe International Airport began to pick up, and the aircraft of various airlines continued to take off and land
During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, Shanghai's two passenger throughput exceeded 120 million, Pudong Airport exceeded 70 million, cargo and mail throughput ranked among the top three airports in the world for many consecutive years, Hongqiao Airport and Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport both exceeded 40 million person-times, and Nanjing Lukou Airport exceeded 30 million person-times.
"During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the gap between the development level of civil aviation in East China provinces continued to narrow, and the average annual growth rate of passenger throughput of small and medium-sized airports reached 17.9%, significantly higher than the overall average of 10.6%." This is the assessment in the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Civil Aviation in East China" released in November 2022.
During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, civil aviation in East China has entered a period of centralized infrastructure construction, a critical period of coordinated development, a period of accelerated innovation and development, and a period of risk prevention and response. The Outline of the Yangtze River Delta Regional Integration Development Plan issued in December 2019 states that Nantong New Airport will become an important part of Shanghai's international aviation hub; Optimize and improve the functions of regional aviation hubs in Hangzhou, Nanjing and Hefei, and enhance the aviation service capabilities of Ningbo and Wenzhou; Support Wuxi Sunan Shuofang International Airport to build a regional hub airport; Accelerate the construction of Hefei International Air Cargo Distribution Center and Huai'an Air Cargo Hub; Plan to build Jiaxing Air Intermodal Center. In addition, the area will also build Jiaxing and Lishui airports in Zhejiang, Wuxuan (Wuhu Xuancheng), Bozhou, Bengbu, Suzhou, Chuzhou, Suzhou and other airports in Anhui, and study and demonstrate the construction of Lu'an Jinzhai Airport.
At present, there are obvious differences in the functional positioning, route network, capacity investment, and operation effect of Yangtze River Delta airports, but they basically match the city level. "In the future, the demand for air passenger transport at the level of the Shanghai metropolitan area, Hangzhou and Nanjing metropolitan area will exceed 100 million." Li Xiaojin predicted.
Invest a lot
In recent years, around the layout of the civil aviation industry in the Yangtze River Delta, many cities around Shanghai have invested a lot.
On May 17, 2023, the city terminal of Suzhou High-tech Zone of Shuofang Airport was inaugurated, which is also the first city terminal in Suzhou to be put into use. Check-in is available in the terminal for all flights departing from Shuofang Airport. Shuofang Airport is located in Xinwu District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, and takes a customized special line from Suzhou High-tech Zone to the airport in about 30 minutes' drive.
After the opening of the city terminal of Suzhou High-tech Zone of Shuofang Airport, Suzhou passengers can check in for flights at their "doorstep"
Two days later, on May 19, Shanghai Airport Suzhou City Terminal was put into use. This means that Suzhou, which has no airport, has two city terminals.
"Among the cities without airports in China, Suzhou has the highest GDP and a large demand for air transportation." Li Xiaojin said, "At present, the closest to Suzhou is Shuofang Airport, which is 20 kilometers east of Suzhou city and 5 kilometers away from Suzhou New District, which is a 4E level military-civilian joint international airport. Shanghai Hongqiao and Pudong airports have city terminals in Suzhou, Taicang and Kunshan. ”
At present, Shanghai Airport Group has signed contracts with Suzhou, Jiaxing, Hefei and other cities to deepen aviation cooperation, focusing on promoting the construction of virtual terminals and digital cargo terminals.
As early as 2014, Nantong clearly stated that it would actively integrate with Shanghai and integrate into Shanghai in accordance with the overall positioning of "Shanghai International Aviation Hub Auxiliary Airport", and focus on seeking Shanghai cooperation in passenger and cargo transportation, low-cost aviation and business aviation.
Focusing on the construction of the new airport, Haimen District of Nantong City has established the Nantong New Airport Construction Service Headquarters in March 2023. The North Yanjiang high-speed railway, which has already started, will set up a station near the new airport in Nantong, which will effectively connect with Shanghai's integrated transportation system with rail transit as the backbone.
In the Draft of Nanjing Land and Space Master Plan (2021-2035), Nanjing proposes to create an aviation pattern of "one main and one auxiliary": with Nanjing Lukou International Airport as the mainstay, it is positioned as the main international hub, air cargo and express distribution center of the Yangtze River Delta city agglomeration; Ma'an International Airport was rebuilt as an auxiliary airport, positioned as a military-civilian joint airport and the second international airport in the Nanjing metropolitan area.
On April 30, there were many passengers in Nanjing Lukou International Airport
"From the perspective of aviation supply, it is difficult to fully meet the multi-level aviation demand of Nanjing and Nanjing Metropolitan Area by relying only on Lukou Airport, Yangtai Airport shared by Yangzhou and Taizhou in Jiangsu Province, and Wuxuan Airport shared by Wuhu Xuancheng in Anhui Province." Lu Yongquan, director of the Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial People's Congress and former director of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Transportation, has repeatedly suggested accelerating the promotion of military-civilian joint use at Nanjing Ma'an Airport.
According to the "Civil Aviation Airport Production Statistical Bulletin" released over the years, from 2015 to 2019, the passenger throughput of Lukou Airport maintained a growth rate of more than 7% for five consecutive years. At its peak (2019), Lukou Airport's annual passenger throughput reached 30.582 million, with a design ceiling of 40 million.
It is reported that the third phase of Lukou Airport will start construction in 2024.
In December 2021, Hangzhou issued the 14th Five-Year Plan for Comprehensive Transportation Development in Hangzhou, proposing to "start the strategic planning study of Hangzhou Second Airport". Due to the limitation of airspace traffic and airport facilities, the throughput capacity of Xiaoshan International Airport is facing saturation, and international routes, especially intercontinental routes, are seriously insufficient. The airport takes a long time to travel with surrounding cities (Xiaoshan Airport takes about 2 hours to Shanghai and Ningbo, Jinhua, Quzhou and other cities in Zhejiang Province), and the ability to radiate the southern region of the Yangtze River Delta is weak.
Today, the third phase of Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport has been put into operation in September 2022, improving the transformed Xiaoshan International Airport to meet the annual passenger throughput of 90 million passengers.
"Can't eat" vs. "can't eat"
"Drawing on the evaluation dimension of the international market, we believe that airport clusters with high maturity should meet several criteria: within the geographical scope of urban agglomerations, with large hub airports in super-first-tier cities as the core, radiating surrounding small and medium-sized hub airports, transport airports and general airports; The average airport density reaches 5 airports/100,000 square kilometers, and each airport realizes complementary functions, differentiated development and integrated cooperation. Changchun said.
"Compared with world-class airports such as New York, London and Tokyo, the Yangtze River Delta airport cluster is world-leading in passenger throughput, cargo and mail throughput, take-off and landing sorties, and navigation points, but there is still room for improvement in development quality." Li Xiaojin said.
"The throughput of Yangtze River Delta airports is seriously polarized, and aviation business is mostly concentrated in Shanghai Pudong, Hongqiao, Hangzhou Xiaoshan and Nanjing Lukou Airport. The passenger throughput of the four sessions reached 180 million person-times per year, accounting for about 80% of the total in the Yangtze River Delta region. On the one hand, the capacity of core gateway hub airports tends to be saturated and the airspace is tight, which will lead to flight delays and the deterioration of airport service quality. On the other hand, a large number of small and medium-sized airport facilities are idle and waste resources during their life cycle, and large financial subsidies from the central government and local governments are required to maintain airport operations. Li Xiaojin said, "It has caused an embarrassing situation that core gateway airports 'can't eat', some airports 'can't eat', and some small and medium-sized airports 'can't eat'." ”
The "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Civil Aviation in East China" also pointed out the contradiction between strong demand and capacity constraints: the airspace structure in East China is complex, there are many airspace users, the existing airspace resources have not yet fully realized resource sharing and flexible use, the operating capacity of some airspace and airport terminals has reached the guarantee limit, the insufficient available airspace resources of civil aviation have become a key bottleneck restricting the further development of regional civil aviation, the speed of tapping potential and efficiency is difficult to keep up with the rapid growth of market demand, and the utilization of some airport facilities resources is forced to the limit.
"Taking Shanghai as an example, the flight volume of Hongqiao and Pudong has maintained a rapid growth trend, and runway resources and airspace resources have become important factors restricting development. Although Shanghai's two airports now have 4 terminals, 1 of the world's largest single satellite halls, 5 cargo areas, 6 runways, 435 parking bays, and the supply capacity of aviation infrastructure is at the leading level in Asia, it is still in short supply compared to demand. Li Xiaojin said.
"In Zhejiang, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou and other cities represent several important growth poles of economic development, providing a foundation for the development of civil aviation; In Jiangsu, only Wuxi Sunan Shuofang Airport is located in the most economically active Jiangsu region, and due to airspace conditions, the production capacity has not been fully released, and a large amount of civil aviation travel demand in Jiangsu Province has been absorbed in Shanghai. Qiqi, associate professor of Guangzhou Civil Aviation Vocational and Technical College, said.
The 14th Five-Year Plan for Civil Aviation Development of Jiangsu Province, issued in September 2021, also confirms this statement, clearly pointing out that Jiangsu Airlines market demand is strong, but the capacity of major hub airports to serve the province is relatively weak.
In addition, the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Civil Aviation in East China" also points out another bottleneck: compared with the world's highest standards and best level, the Yangtze River Delta airport cluster is not internationally competitive, the innovation ability is not strong, the coverage of international routes is not wide, and the efficiency of transit connection is not high. The scale and quality of international air cargo do not match, the international cargo market share of mainland carriers is low, and the level of upstream and downstream integration, professional support capacity, processing efficiency and informatization of air cargo needs to be improved.
"Taking Pudong Airport as an example, after the opening of the main project and satellite hall of the third phase expansion of Pudong Airport in September 2019, the satellite hall guaranteed more than 580 flights per day, accounting for 46% of the total number of flights, all of which achieved bridge guarantee, which in turn drove the overall bridge docking rate of Pudong Airport from 50% to 90%, and the normal rate of flight release increased from 86% before the opening to more than 90%, but it has not yet been shortlisted in the list of the world's top ten best airports, which shows that there are still gaps in global flight punctuality rate, service quality and claim processing score." Growth spring analysis.
"The average time it takes from the internal airports of the five major international airport groups (Chicago O'Hare International Airport in the United States, Husfield International Airport in Atlanta, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Heathrow International Airport in London in the United Kingdom, and Narita International Airport in Tokyo, Japan) is 36 minutes to the city, and the average time from the internal airports of the four major airport groups in mainland China to the urban area is 61 minutes, nearly 1.7 times that of the former." Growing spring supplement.
"Compared with the world's leading airports, the Yangtze River Delta airport cluster still has a lot of room for improvement, and the energy level and level of future airports, and even the structure and layout of the airport group in the Yangtze River Delta region need to be further optimized." Li Xiaojin said.
How to "flock"
"The airport cluster is not a simple accumulation of airports in the region, but a multi-airport system characterized by operational coordination and differentiated development, involving infrastructure, route network, ground transportation, air traffic right time, coordination mechanism and other aspects." Li Xiaojin said that compared with the new airport, what is more difficult is to straighten out the multiple relationships of competition and complementarity between the Yangtze River Delta airport clusters. "In the Yangtze River Delta airport cluster, which serves almost overlapping target markets, it is very difficult to achieve differentiated development."
"The two major airports in Shanghai have basically determined the status of the Asia-Pacific gateway composite aviation hub, with good connectivity, high directness, domestic and foreign omnidirectional radiation of the air route network, capacity investment and airport throughput are significantly higher than the surrounding airports are much higher, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Hefei airports are positioned as regional aviation hubs, capacity investment, airport throughput, route network is not as good as Shanghai airport, but also opened many international routes, Nanjing, Hangzhou airports have been shortlisted as international large airports. In terms of other airports, except for Huangshan and Chizhou airports in Anhui Province, which are positioned as tourist regional airports and Jiaxing airports as cargo airports, most other prefecture-level city airports are vaguely positioned. Changchun said.
On April 2, at the site of the Qingyang section of Hefei Xinqiao Airport Line S1, the builders were under construction
The straight-line distance between Jiaxing Airport and Hongqiao and Xiaoshan Airports is less than 100 kilometers, and if it competes with each other for cargo routes and passengers, it will cause waste of resources. In this context, Jiaxing Airport has actively shifted to the layout of cargo to avoid head-on competition with the two surrounding airports.
"At present, there are still a large number of fragmented phenomena in the planning and construction of transportation infrastructure in the Yangtze River Delta, and it is urgent for relevant departments to coordinate and urge local cross-regional joint construction and sharing, and implement the "Cooperation Agreement on Jointly Promoting the Coordinated Development of Civil Aviation in the Yangtze River Delta Region and Striving to Build a World-class Airport Cluster in the Yangtze River Delta" signed by the Civil Aviation Administration of China and Shanghai, Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province and Anhui Province in 2018." Growing Spring said.
Changchun suggested that aviation resources can be allocated according to the metropolitan area, on the one hand, to form a passenger and cargo combination, on the other hand, to rely on urban rail transit, to form an "airport group on the track", and to carry out airport function subdivision and positioning at the scale of the urban agglomeration to promote the division of labor and cooperation. For example, Xiaoshan Airport and Jiaxing Airport are less than 100 kilometers apart, which can coordinate the Xiaoshan Airport expansion project and the Jiaxing Airport construction project to realize passenger and cargo diversion and avoid duplicate investment; Although the Lukou Airport Expansion Project in Jiangnan, the Civil Function Upgrade Project of Ma'an Airport in Jiangbei and the Chuzhou Airport New Construction Project are cross-province, they can be seamlessly connected through the Nanjing-Chuzhou urban rail transit in the future, and realize the sharing of airport resources across provinces. You can consider building a specialized cargo airport with the giant of the express delivery industry, or combine cultural tourism resources, such as Jinzhai Airport, which can be positioned as a cultural tourism characteristic airport in the Dabie Mountain area.
"To build a world-class airport cluster with clear positioning, complementary functions, division of labor and cooperation to serve world-class population groups and world-class industrial clusters, the aviation cities in the Yangtze River Delta still have great development potential, development momentum and development space." Li Xiaojin said.
Source: Xinhua News Agency