Focus

Flight in vogue as nouveau riche reach up to the skies

By Wang Ying (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-07 08:05

China's wealthy are trying to dodge strict aviation regulations. Wang Ying reports from Shanghai.

It was a hot July night and the usually busy runway at Hangzhou's Xiaoshan International Airport had been silent for almost an hour. Inside, curious travelers peered out of the windows as rumors quickly spread that their flights were grounded because of a UFO.

Unfortunately for those expecting little green men, the explanation from authorities several days later was far from mysterious: It was a private jet taking a "black flight".

China's strict airspace policy bans all pilots from taking to the skies without prior clearance from aviation officials. Yet, many private aircraft owners - largely parvenus who have benefited from three decades of soaring economic growth - are cutting through the red tape.

"You know, most UFO sightings over the Chinese mainland are actually (unapproved) black flights being made by private owners," said an industry insider who did not want to be identified.

Although there are plans to ease flight restrictions, experts warn that black flights promise not only chaos for airports, but also disaster.

Sightings of at least nine UFOs have been reported across China since June this year, including in Hunan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Shanxi and Shandong provinces and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

More than 20 scheduled flights were delayed in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, in July, with more grounded in a similar high-profile incident at Baotou Airport in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Sept 11.