By Shi Yaodong & Zhou Yi, Research Team on “The Retrospect and Experience of the 40 Years of Reform and Opening-UP”, DRC

Research Report, No.178, 2019 (Total 5678) 2019-10-11

Abstract: As one of the important infrastructure industries of national economy, China’s civil aviation industry deserves a systematic retrospect and analysis on the reform it has gone through, which will provide experience and support for deepening reforms. This report first introduces the three backgrounds of the civil aviation reform, namely, state monopoly lacking in flexibility, supply shortage, and inadequate efficiency and capacity. On this basis, the report has combed the three stages of the civil aviation industry reform, including the state of separation of government from enterprises and power devolution, the state of industrial restructuring and the initiation of market-based reform, and the stage of reform acceleration, price reform and structural optimization. In general, China’s civil aviation industry has achieved remarkable progress over the last 40 years through reforms, while there are still some problems that are yet to be effectively resolved, such as market access barriers and non-market operation. In the future, work needs to be done to further deepen the reform and make breakthroughs in market-based operation, infrastructure investment and financing, low-attitude airspace administrative system, and reforms on enterprise restructuring and open development.

Key words: civil aviation industry, reform process, deepen reform, major task