An official of the State Air Management Council disclosed on Jan 17 that the low sky management reform trial areas will be further extended to the entire Northeast China, Middle South China and the 6 city regions of Tangshan, Xian, Qinagdao, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Kunming, accounting for 36% of China’s total land area, and by 2015, the entire China will be covered in the experiment. At that time, a unified low sky operation management and service guarantee system shall be established.

On Aug 19 2010, the State Council and the State Military Council have jointly issued the “Comments on the Deepening of the Low Sky Management Reforms”, in an intention to mobilize the low sky resources, to enhance its space utilization rate and to boost the development of the aviation industry.

After one year’s trials and experience collections of the reform program, the huge economic potential and social value behind the low sky have caught more and more attention. The government plan has clearly indicated that it will actively promote the development of the general aviation industry, change the air management system, improve the air resource utilization rate, and integrate the development of national and regional aircrafts, general aircrafts and helicopters into the strategical industry development projects.

It was the first time the Chinese government raised the development of the general aviation industry to its national strategy.

The State Air Management Council also disclosed that consideration shall not only be given to the air zone categorized use and management, but also to the needs of the distribution of the low sky air routes on the basis of the aforementioned categorization, in order to pave way for the city air shuttles.