Collegiate Aviation in China: Opportunities and Challenges

The rapid growth of the aviation industry in China over the last ten years has led to a dramatic shortfall in supporting personnel and infrastructure. By 2010, the need for commercial pilots, in particular, is predicted to far outstrip current levels of production. Chinese officials have focused on collegiate aviation programs as a primary source of new pilots for their evolving aviation industry, but those institutions are already hard pressed to meet the demand. This paper examines the current structure of collegiate aviation in China as well as challenges for production growth that include the absence of a general aviation culture, insufficient national aviation infrastructure, and endemic airspace constraints.