US space agency NASA has signed an agreement with the Chinese Aeronautical Establishment (CAE) to cooperate on research that will help China's airports improve management of air traffic.

China is the world's fastest-growing aviation market but passengers often have to cope with long flight delays.

The memorandum of understanding signed on Wednesday will see the two agencies use data from Chinese airports to identify potential efficiencies in air traffic management, with a view to improve air transportation automation for US and Chinese aviation operations in the country.

NASA said the agreement's details were discussed during NASA administrator Charles Bolden's visit in August, when he met with the CAE and the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

"China is expected to see a substantial increase in air travel in the near future," Bolden said. "Our ability to work closely together will help to improve predictability of ground delays so air carriers can better plan departures to increase efficiencies. That will have a positive impact on US carriers operating in China and the global aviation community."

In July, the official news agency Xinhua said China plans to invest as much as $7.49 billion to develop its air traffic management system.