China to build 82 new airports

Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced that China will build 82 new airports, most in regional cities, over the next five years to speed up development of the domestic aviation industry. The aim is to build an air transport network that will cater to about 90% of the population by 2020. However reports suggest that some 130 small airports in the country had registered a loss of over 2 billion yuan ($314 million) last year. Li Jiaxiang, head of China's Civil Aviation Administration, told reporters that the government consider the sector as "a national strategic industry". CAAC director Li Jiaxiang said that construction of the new airports follows the principle of advancing the country's aviation development within capabilities. "The plan must consider future development space and not waste money on useless infrastructure," Li said.