Policy development can develop low-cost aviation

AirAsia announced that it will open a fixed-point direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Shanghai on February 19. Nowadays, more and more foreign low-cost airlines have opened routes to multiple cities in China. Even in first-line cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, which are difficult to squeeze into, they all have a place. When foreign low-cost airlines enthusiastically flooded into China, I could not help but wonder why China’s traditional airlines are so many and low-cost airlines have not seen “bridging”.

According to a survey conducted by a website, more than 50% of civil aviation passengers at their own expense are willing to choose low-cost airlines. Many people hope that there will be a few more low-cost airlines in China. After all, foreign airlines do not have ninth freedom rights and cannot operate on domestic routes. The popular aspirations of the public are very much in line with the popularization strategy of one of the three major strategies for implementing civil aviation in China. Popularization of aviation not only includes more coverage of destinations, but also includes reduction of fares. In 2010, the share of low-cost airlines in China was less than 3%, far below the global average of 23%.

On the one hand, it is the public's anomalous desire for low-cost airlines. On the other hand, it is Chinese companies that do not have a cold for the low-cost aviation market. The root cause of this contradiction lies in the lack of corresponding policies and market environment for low-cost aviation development.

To develop an industry, it must be supported by national policies. The reason why the United States’ aviation technology can maintain its global leading position for many years is inseparable from the strong support of the government. From the government’s formulation and revision of laws, to the US Department of Defense, the Department of Aeronautics and Space, and other departments’ research and development plans, the provision of loan guarantees, concessions, reductions, and the use of tax relief and capital subsidies to reduce the burden on aviation industry companies. The support of the aviation industry can be described as a "through-train" service.

The aviation industry itself is a high-risk, high-input, low-yield industry, and domestic low-cost aviation is a late start, a thin home, and a weak foundation. Therefore, without the strong support of national policies, it is difficult to form an industrial cluster effect. Last year, Wang Changshun, general manager of China National Aviation Corporation, said that Air China was not involved in low-cost aviation for several years. The reason is that the current policy environment is not mature. To establish a low-cost airline in the country, there are many constraints in aircraft purchase approval, tariff management, air rights approval, time management, airspace control, and infrastructure support.

For low-cost aviation to be developed, the government must first establish a reasonable market for laws and regulations, and give preferential policies to domestic low-cost airlines in the early stages of growth, such as giving plane tilt, in terms of aircraft introduction, routes, aviation fuel, and time. Offers to allow low-cost airlines to have a healthy "soil". At the same time, the government still needs to relax control of the aviation market to some extent. One of the important reasons for the growth of low-cost aviation originators - Southwest Airlines - was the deregulation of the airline industry in 1978, which gave airlines the right to set their own prices and introduce aircraft. Southwest Airlines has seized the opportunity to become the global leader in low-cost aviation after years of development.

Of course, the current market environment for low-cost aviation development is not very mature. A series of problems such as rising fuel and labor costs and shortage of pilots have made enterprises trying to try low-cost aviation become increasingly small. In addition, some domestic tourists do not have enough knowledge of low-cost aviation. Although domestic travelers like cheap fares and efficient services, they do not understand the difference between low-cost airlines and traditional airlines in terms of food, baggage consignment, and delay compensation. The “black list” incident of Spring Airlines of the online heat transmission last year was caused by passengers failing to understand the “aerospace delay without compensation” policy of Spring Airlines.

Although most people have confidence in China's development of low-cost airlines, it is still far from the day when low-cost airlines thrive. After all, there are few companies in our country that really focus on low-cost aviation. In that year, the special economic zone policy changed Shenzhen from a small fishing village to today's modern metropolis; a policy of halving the purchase of vehicle surcharges for vehicles with a capacity of less than 1.6 liters allowed China to sell small-displacement cars in 2009. The increase of more than 2 million vehicles... These examples all show that the policy has a huge guiding role in regional development and industrial development. China's low-cost aviation will have a prosperous picture, and policies must go first. As a result, the motivation and confidence of Chinese companies to enter the low-cost aviation market will be more adequate, and the dream of “everybody can fly” will also be realized more quickly.