Plan to allow great use of lower-altitude airspace

China plans to relax its ban on the use of lower-altitude airspace next year, an official from the air traffic control authority said on Monday.

The reforms being used to open up that airspace will accelerate next year and the applications that must be filled out for general aviation procedures will be simplified, Ma Xin, an official from the State Air Traffic Control Commission, told a forum in Zhuhai, Guagndong province, on Monday.

Government authorities are outlining policies that will govern the use and regulation of lower-altitude air space, including application procedures. The policies and concrete procedures might help to ensure there is no longer a lack of airspace for private jets, Ma said.

In China, lower airspace refers to airspace at an altitude of less than 1,000 meters. Reforms began to be made to airspace rules in 2010 after the State Council and the Central Military Commission introduced a reform and regulation plan.

The country has since introduced related pilot projects to open low airspace to aviation flights in its northeastern and central-southern regions and to stimulate the expansion of the fledgling general aviation industry.