China To Reform Slot-Assignment Process

China is making the allocation of new landing slots at some key airports a competitive process, a move that could give private airlines a fairer opportunity to get some desired slots compared with state-owned carriers.

As part of a trial run, slots for additional domestic flights in 2016 at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport will be put up for sale from this week.

At Shanghai Pudong Airport, the process will be decided by drawing of lots, CAAC said in a statement on its website. Airlines can also pay to get the desired slots.

Industry executives, such as Wang Zhenghua, the chairman of China's biggest budget carrier Spring Airlines, have said the previous system was unfair to private airlines as state-owned carriers were allocated the best slots.

Of the total 196 additional weekly landing and take-off slots that will be available in 2016 at the two airports, half will be for international routes, the other half for domestic services.