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Beijing: China's aviation authority, citing safety concerns, has announced plans to scale back flights at overstretched Beijing airport and a ban on the founding of new airlines before 2010.
China's airlines have carried 19.6 per cent more passengers so far this year compared to last year, straining ground support, the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, known by its initials, CAAC, said.
"Along with the rapid development of the industry have come ever-more urgent problems with the supply of technical personnel, air space resources, and airport safety guarantees," said the notice, viewed on the CAAC website last Thursday.
Fight arrivals and departures at Beijing Capital Airport will be restricted to 1,050 per day, or 58 per hour, by the end of October, and fall further to 1,000 per day, or 55 per hour, by the end of March 2008, the notice said.
China's three biggest carriers, Air China, China Eastern and China Southern, will be required to cut a total of 336 daily flights, the notice said.
Beijing is already the world's ninth busiest airport by number of passengers handled, and is bracing for a jump in traffic around the time of the Olympics.
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