Learning Business Aviation

Transcription

1 International Operations Operating in China Business aviation ops are getting easier in the PRC but slowly BY DAVID ESLER Ever since a Gulfstream II dispatched by the former Kaiser Steel flight department penetrated the Bamboo Curtain in 1979 becoming the first business aircraft to lay rubber on a mainland Chinese runway operating in the People s Republic of China (PRC) has represented a challenging enterprise for business aviation. It s not that the Chinese are hostile to business aviation they welcome visitation (and especially investment) by western business executives and make a lot of money servicing visiting business aircraft operators at their major airports. (As we ll see later, handling, airport and other fees at Beijing or Shanghai can amount to as much as $20,000 for a 24-hr. stop not including fuel or catering.) But the Chinese aviation infrastructure especially air traffic control is not set up to accommodate ad hoc, non-scheduled movement that is key to business aviation s operation. If the history of China tells us anything about one of the oldest cultures on earth, it is that more than anything else, the Chinese respect order (or stability), control and patience. These qualities play out in everything the PRC undertakes, including how it administers its national airspace system, airports and ground support infrastructure. Precedence is given to the nation s rapidly growing airline industry, and while an initiative is underway to develop a robust general aviation sector, progress in relaxing altitude restrictions, allowing direct-to-destination routing, opening low-altitude VFR routes for rotary-wing aircraft and accommodating business aircraft at major airports continues to lag. Learning Business Aviation But it s trying. According to Jenny Lau, chairwoman of the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA), the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is beginning to understand the concept of business aviation and has asked local operators for feedback on how to make it easier to operate within the PRC. Now they are getting participation from the private sector, she told BCA from her office in Beijing. They have also solicited studies of aviation in other countries. Indeed, a spokesperson for Universal Weather & Aviation in Houston confirmed that the flight-planning agency has hosted three visits from CAAC officials and inspectors interested in learning more about business aviation. This compares to the general direction in the PRC, Lau continued, which is to develop general aviation. However, They are talking about different things in terms of general aviation... as the focus is pilot training and small airport development. Unfortunately, these new airports are too small to accommodate most business jets, as due to budget considerations, all the runways are under 800 meters, or approximately 2,625 ft., long. The AsBAA is trying to encourage the PRC government to extend the runways in the future to accommodate higher-performance aircraft. A lot of the cities and towns involved have limited budgets but want to attract the private sector to assist in building the airports and extending the runways of the existing ones, Lau said. The As- BAA sees the solution to sustaining the infrastructure is public/private partnerships. The facilities can be paid for with investment from the private sector. The director general of the CAAC has claimed that, by 2030, some 2,000 airports will have been constructed under this program to cover 2,800 cities and townships. Western China is spread out, and so the focus for general aviation development is on that region, Lau said. As of this writing, 311 general aviation airports have been completed, with 74 awarded CAAC approval and 42 Business & Commercial Aviation November

2 Third terminal at Beijing International Airport. Business jet parking at ZBAA is limited to 24 hr. the others still awaiting certification. In China, the government has to take the majority stake, as there is no privately owned land, Lau observed, alluding to the Communist system adopted by the Chinese under Chairman Mao Zedong after World War II. Remember: order, control, patience. As it is, there are more than 150 civil airports in China that can accommodate aircraft operated by airlines and business aviation. While military airfields are generally closed to civil traffic, in some remote areas, it may be possible to obtain access to them by special arrangement, if the operator can present a convincing case to the CAAC and military authorities; using a handling agency to do this is recommended. However, the policy favors PRC-registered business jets, which can occasionally access these bases. In the wake of the general aviation initiative, there has been operational improvement, Lau claimed. In Hong Kong it s a different situation, as it s a foreign territory and has its own rules. But in the PRC... over the last three years there has been both improvement and challenges at the same time. In terms of improvement, the application process for permits is now more efficient. Formerly, you had to apply three business days in advance and have a sponsor letter from a local company for each place you wanted to visit. Now it s one business day, thanks to the application of IT and more manpower, and the sponsor letter has been dropped. This has made it easier for both local and foreign carriers to enter the PRC. Added Cynthia Zhang, manager of Universal Weather & Aviation s China office in Beijing, The CAAC wants to make it easier, a good sign the government is trying to understand the business aviation markets in the U.S. But not everyone agrees that it s become easier to navigate the Chinese aviation bureaucracy. Old China hand Pat Dunn believes it was easier in the 1990s. Now based in Singapore and running A Different World his own company, Aviation Logistics Aircraft Management, Dunn was for several years aviation manager and chief pilot for the Genting Group in Malaysia, where he often captained trips into the PRC. Today, he remains active as a contract pilot in Gulfstream and Bombardier Global jets. China has chosen to impose new rulings about access and when you come and go, Dunn said. At the 10 largest airports, visiting operators cannot arrive or depart between 0700 and 0900 local, and from 0900 to 2200 you can come in or go out but not both. So, it isn t possible to fly to, say, Shanghai, and then immediately go to another city like Hong Kong is a world unto itself, classified since the U.K. turned it back to China in 1999 as a Special Administrative Region (SAR). At least in terms of aviation, the PRC regards Hong Kong as a foreign country and handles all flights from there as international arrivals, and all that they entail. While Hong Kong is a magnet for international business aircraft, it confounds those arriving by the scarcity of parking, time-limited stays and huge ground-handling costs at Hong Kong International Airport. Thus, many operators choose to drop off passengers and reposition to another airport an expensive option that is full of challenges as well. We will detail business aviation operations to and from Hong Kong in a future feature. BCA ISTOCK Business & Commercial Aviation November

3 International Operations ISTOCK Shanghai Pudong International Airport allows three days and two nights parking for business aircraft. Slot control is a way of life at the PRC s showcase airport for business visitors. Beijing. If you come in the morning, you have to wait until 2200 to leave. The AsBAA s Zhang revealed that at some slot-controlled airports, between 0900 and 1000 local, only one business aircraft movement is allowed on a given day, and you have to wait until after 2200 to depart. Further, at Shanghai Hongqiao (ZSSS) the city s domestic airport a nighttime curfew is in effect. Of course, operators must have landing permits, and Dunn claims these are getting more difficult to obtain. They have clamped down on the number of permits issued per day per airport. In Asia, there are a lot of low-cost carriers, and they get carte blanche, so they are taking slots away from us and giving them to the carriers. ATC spaces Slow Going arrivals 2.5 times out from what is customary spacing in U.S. ATC. So, they are more than twice as far apart in arrivals and departures, since they mandate so much distance between every movement. You spend twice as much time on the ground waiting for clearance as in the U.S. Still a Lot to Learn The mainland Chinese absolutely do not understand ad hoc business aviation operations, Dunn complained. You can t ask for a permit more than 14 days ahead. Some airports may tighten it up beyond that if they don t have the slot openings. So, you have to get in line to get a time. If you are not a The PRC s ambitious plan to create a general aviation infrastructure throughout China promises to build a network of 2,000 small airports throughout the country by The one drawback for accommodating business aviation is that the average runway length of these fields so far has been about 2,600 ft. with the possibility that some of them could be extended in the future. Even doubling the current lengths could be problematic for business aviation use. The fields just wouldn t work for long-range business jets, observed Barry Collier, managing director of Jet Aviation s Hong Kong aircraft management operation and a Gulfstream 450/550 captain. The example he gives is an operator that might be able to get into one of the fields with a hypothetical 5,000-ft. strip and high elevation in Western China but would be limited to taking off light and then having to schedule a technical stop at a major airport to refuel. This could be complicated by slot considerations and having to clear customs if departing the country (assuming the general aviation field was not equipped for CIQ). Collier is also skeptical of the PRC general aviation initiative s projected schedule for completing the airports. This program is years away, by the way, he told BCA. In Hong Kong 20 years ago they were promising opening up helicopter routes and we still haven t achieved it. It will happen but very slowly, maybe not in my lifetime. BCA PRC-registered airplane, you will have less flexibility, as locals get preference I know this by observation. And then there is the rigid slot control system enforced at all major airports in the PRC, which flies in the face of any type of flexible operations. If you cancel a slot, other operators will grab it, Dunn continued. And some local operators are actually able to buy slots. Furthermore, some entrepreneurs principally, handling companies buy slots under fake tail numbers and then resell them. But don t cheat, Dunn counseled, as they will catch you, and you ll be penalized in terms of access, maybe by months. Also, be aware that the rules governing all this change frequently. Airport authorities and the militaryoperated ATC system vigorously enforce slot compliance and times. They give you a 15-min. window for compliance, Dunn said, so if you re late on arrival, they record that, and if you log more than two ticks, there will be penalties. As far as I know, no one has been turned away [i.e., refused landing] and there are no fines, but a bust limits your ability to get a slot the next time. If an operator is late for a departure, the slot authority may try to find a window for the flight. But Dunn said, In some cases, they may hold you for two or three days. And they ve threatened to hold aircraft for as many as six days on the basis that there were no slots available. Zhang claimed that the CAAC keeps on-time performance reports for each aircraft. They allow a 1-hr. window for very long flights that are running late, but forget it on departure, as you must reapply for a new slot if you re late. If there is an AOG or an ATC problem a reasonable excuse it s OK to delay. There s not much flexibility, Dunn said. Once you have your slots, you re locked in. You can make multiple stops as long as you have the permits but you are limited to five and then you have to leave the country. In the case of multiple stops, consider that if any are at major airports enforcing slot control, linking the stops together will be challenging. This is worse if one of the destinations is Hong Kong, Dunn warned, in which case it may be easier flying onto the mainland and have passengers airline over to Hong Kong. Next to dealing with slot control, the largest headache is finding a place to park an airplane at any major field and especially at Hong Kong International Airport (VHHH, known locally as Chek Lap Kok Airport). Ramp space is so scarce that some fields like Beijing 44 Business & Commercial Aviation November

4 Capital International Airport (ZBAA) allow only a 24-hr. stay; Shanghai Pudong (ZSPD) grants three days and two nights. Some locations outright ban parking overnight. As noted, China s ATC apparatus continues to be operated by the People s Liberation Army (PLA), but Dunn believes there has been some improvement in access and routing for general aviation. We get better routings than we used to, he said. Some direct routes have opened up that hitherto were reserved exclusively for the airlines. But always, you will have to stay on the route you were cleared to. They will offset you between 2 and 10 nm from the centerline, depending on their separation requirements and those can be very liberal. You can ask for an offset for weather or traffic diversions, but generally, they assign one to you anyway. Whatever you do, though, don t offset without permission, Dunn emphasized. So operationally, he continued, there has been some progress from where it used to be. Do not be surprised, though, if you do not get altitudes above FL 310; occasionally they may allow up to FL 410, but that s rare, so fuel and flight plan for the low to mid 30s just in case. Zhang noted that the military owns the airspace above FL 410, and each controller has to get approval from the military to keep your aircraft in airspace above this flight level. Further, flight levels in the low-to-mid 30s tend to be very saturated, especially in the central and southern FIRs. Because of this, she warned, expect to be held down longer than normally expected. One important point to consider if the operator s itinerary involves a flight to an out-of-the-way destination: check to ensure there are ATC services overnight. If not, Dunn advised, see if your handler can make the arrangements to have it but be ready to pay a hefty fee for the service. Altimetry is still expressed in meters, so Dunn advises to have a crosscheck chart in the cockpit, since most western-built aircraft are equipped with altimeters that calculate in feet. Also, at the larger airports, QNH as opposed to QFE altimetry is in use. But for the outlying fields, Dunn suggests operators check first to see what altimetry system is in effect. Barry Collier, managing director of Jet Aviation s Hong Kong aircraft management operation and a Gulfstream 450/550 captain, also feels Chinese controllers are doing a lot better to accommodate the needs of business aviation. China s Indigenous Business Aviation ISTOCK HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT High personal wealth and a growing recognition among the PRC government and industry of the value of business aviation are galvanizing a slowly growing based business jet population in China and Hong Kong. According to the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA), permanently based business jets number 330 on the mainland and 140 in Hong Kong. Major operators of business jets on the mainland are DeerJet, Business Aviation Asia, SinoJet and Lily Jet aircraft management companies. In Hong Kong the principal operators are MetroJet, Jet Aviation and TAG Aviation. Data vary on predicted growth, but in the opinion of AsBAA Chairwoman Jenny Lau, this year has represented a hot market. The number of companies using business aircraft has increased 15% per year over the last two years. Altogether in general aviation, it could be more than 20%, as we have such a small base, she speculated. Additionally, there is government-supported manufacturing of small airplanes. Austria s Diamond Aircraft Industries, for example, has set a goal to produce 400 new aircraft in China over the next five years. Textron Aviation has a joint venture with AVIC s China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. in Shijiazhuang to deliver Cessna Caravans to domestic operators. It also has another joint venture painting and final delivery center for the Citation XLS+ in Zhuhai. And this past May, Airbus Helicopters broke ground for a new manufacturing facility in Qingdao in eastern China where it plans to produce a minimum of 100 H135s over the next decade, with the first aircraft coming off the line in The project is a joint venture with China Aviation Supplies Holding Co. and Qingdao United General Aviation Industrial Development Co. Beyond that, the government owns Mooney, Cirrus, Continental Motors and Enstrom Helicopters, among other light aircraft manufacturers. As an association, we will represent all the players in the region and will lobby the government to relax policies affecting business aviation and treat it fairly in comparison to the airlines, Lau promised. AsBAA Asia Director Sarah Keats added that, We are not asking for special treatment but fairness in terms of application of the rules. BCA Business & Commercial Aviation November

5 International Operations Flight Planning for China As with any international destination, to get the most out of a trip into Chinese airspace and not wind up sideways with the aviation authorities demands thorough advance planning. Operators must familiarize themselves not only with China s Aviation information Manual (AIM) and PRC aviation regulations but air traffic control procedures, altimetry, slot control at major airports, curfews, and landing permits and visa requirements. But as pilots featured in the main story emphasize, regulations in the PRC can change frequently without prior notice, so the message is to always check (or have your handling agency verify) the situation before beginning the process of applying for permits. As of early autumn, these rules and policies were in effect: Visas One policy change from the PRC customs administration is that while crew visas are still available, they are no longer required for business aviation flight crews arriving at most destination cities, as standard business visas can suffice. (One exception is Tianjin [ZBTJ], which still requires the crew visa.) This simplifies crew changes, where relief pilots and cabin attendants arriving via airline are required to hold business visas anyway to enter the country. As far as getting people in and out of China, Captain Pat Dunn told BCA, it isn t as bad in terms of visas, especially for U.S. visitors who can qualify for one-year multiple-visit visas. But it s the access that s the problem, that is, being able to get slots. U.S. citizens can carry two passports, and that makes it possible to have a five-year multiple visit crew visa in one and a ten-year business visa in the other. But before you come, over check out what today s rules are. Barry Collier, who manages Jet Aviation s Hong Kong office, recommends using business visas for flexibility. However, you can t hold a crew visa and a business visa simultaneously [on one passport], he said. Ninety-nine percent of the time a business visa works, though. The crew visa seems to be for the airlines. With business aviation, it s much easier doing crew swaps with the business visa. In addition to my Jet Aviation job, I also fly Gulfstream 450 and 550 jets and have never had any problems coming or going in the PRC with a business Deer Jet s C-Jet facility at Beijing Capital Airport offers pass-through CIQ processing. visa. Having two passports, though, can be a problem coming in on one and leaving on the other. Be aware that all crew members and passengers must hold visas on arrival in China; anyone without a visa will be immediately deported and the operator fined. Sponsor Letters As mentioned in the main text, the PRC has relaxed the requirement for business visitors arriving at civil airports to have sponsor letters from individuals, companies, or government agencies they intend to call on. An exception is access to military fields, which may be the only alternative for visits to some remote locations. In these cases, a letter explaining the purpose of the visit and to whom the visitor wishes to engage is required, but it should be noted that it may take some time and effort to obtain permission to land at a military base, and requests are often denied. Working through a handling agency with representatives on the ground in the PRC is recommended. Landing Permits and Slots While the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) prefers operators to apply for landing permits three business days prior to desired arrival, it is now possible to apply with one business day advance notice. It is recommended by handlers to apply during normal business hours in the PRC, as the permit agency tends to be understaffed during other times of the day. Understand also that if the operator applies on a Friday, it is unlikely that CAAC will award a permit for an arrival on Saturday. When a permit They re speaking good English, and they are trying hard, but they have their own rules and regs to contend with. They have to rigidly stick with what they have because if they stray outside the lines, they re in trouble. He went on to note, They do not like deviations, even for weather a big difference between the PRC and Hong Kong, where the controllers are more accepting. Don t ever deviate without permission. They get very upset if you do. The PLA controllers can choose to vector business aircraft on long convoluted routes to avoid military installations on the ground or anything else the government doesn t want operators to see. It s still true that you can t always fly direct, Collier said, as they will route you all over the place. Once I was vectored past my destination airport 150 nm I just sat there and watched the airport go by out the window before they turned us back. All this costs fuel and time... so we always carry more fuel than we need, especially to Shanghai or Beijing, due to long routes and holds. Getting Out Getting into the PRC is one thing, but getting out is another, thanks to the slot situation and precedence given to the airlines. ATC backs up due to weather-related delays like thunderstorms and unannounced military exercises, Collier said. Meanwhile, you ve cleared customs and you re stuck on the airplane, all buttoned up with the door closed, waiting on the ramp or in a taxiway queue, sometimes for hours. And to return to the ramp is out of the question, as you d lose the slot and have to clear customs all over again. Three months ago I was crewing a flight out of Shanghai, he continued, and we called half an hour early for engine start, and 20 min. later I still didn t have clearance, and then clearance delivery told us there would be a 2-hr. delay. While we were sitting there, the cabin attendant came to the cockpit and asked if she could begin serving dinner. I said OK, and, of course, once she started, we got the green light to fire up and get in line. Ground handling can present an exercise in resourcefulness, too, as the 46 Business & Commercial Aviation November

6 Deer Jet operates this international business aviation terminal at Haikou Meilan Airport. is issued, the destination airport slot will accompany it. Slot validity is generous: +/- 30 to 60 min. for domestic arrivals and departures and +/- 15 min. for international arrivals and departures. However, according to Universal Weather & Aviation s Cynthia Zhang, controllers will allow up to a one-hour window for very long inbound international flights that are running late, but forget it on departure, as you must reapply for a new slot if you re late. If there is an AOG [i.e., a mechanical problem] or an ATC delay reasonable excuses it s okay to delay. Operators should be aware that CAAC now monitors all flights into China to ensure estimated times en route (ETEs) coincide with filed flight plan ETEs. Operators flying multiple trips to the PRC with a history of ETE variance will be penalized, e.g., greater than 60% to less than 80 % late will result in extended lead times for future permit requests; less that 60% on time may result in total suspension of permit awards (i.e., the operator will be effectively banned from entering the PRC); 80% on time, no penalty. Zhang claimed this policy affects only ETEs, not arrival times or slot compliance. The ETE problem apparently has caught CAAC s attention due to some operators declaring technical delays in order to manipulate slot restrictions. Advice: if you declare a tech delay, it better be a real one. Charter Flights China considers any commercial aircraft with 29 or fewer passenger seats as private, which would easily accommodate most business jets operating under FAR Part 135 (or foreign equivalent), probably including nearly all Boeing Business Jets (BBJs) and Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJs). Anything with 30 or more passenger seats no matter what the mission is considered a commercial aircraft and treated appropriately, which according to UW&A, means the permit acquisition process will be challenging and subject to bilateral agreement considerations. Airport Movement Restrictions At five airports, between local on a given day, only one movement is allowed per business aircraft, which means that if a business aircraft arrives before 0900, it cannot depart until after Those airports are Beijing Capital (ZBAA), Shanghai Hongqiao (ZSSS), Shanghai Pudong (ZSPD), Guangzhou New Baiyun (ZGGG), and Shenzhen (ZGSZ). Morning Restrictions Twenty-one airports do not permit business aircraft to take off or land between 0700 and 0900 local. They are Beijing Capital (ZBAA), Shanghai Hongqiao (ZSSS), Shanghai Pudong (ZSPD), Guangzhou New Baiyun (ZGGG), Shenzhen (ZGSZ), Tianjin Binhai (ZBTJ), Dalian (ZYTL), Hangzhou (ZSHC), Lukou Nanking/Nanjing (ZSNJ), Qingdao (ZSQD), Xiamen (ZSAM), Fuzhou (ZSFZ), Wuhan Tianhe (ZHHH), Changsha (ZGHA), Haikou Meilan (ZJHK), Sanya Phoenix (ZJSY), Shuangliu Chengdu (ZUUU), Chongqing Jiangbei (ZUCK), Kunming (ZPPP), Xianyang (ZLXY), and Urumqi (ZWWW) which also prohibits landings and departures between 0200 and 0700 local on Tuesdays. Curfews Shanghai Hongqiao (ZSSS) enforces a curfew between 0001 and 0600 local. Parking Restrictions Twelve airports prohibit business aircraft from parking overnight: Shuangliu Chengdu (ZUUU), Chongqing Jiangbei (ZUCK), Kunming (ZPPP), Lijiang (ZPLJ), Zhongchuan (ZLLL), Dalian (ZYTL), Haikou Meilan (ZJHK), Sanya Phoenix (ZJSY), Changchun Longjia (ZYCC), Wuxi (ZSWX), Urumqi (ZWWW), and Lishe Ningbo (ZSNB). Beijing Capital (ZBAA) limits parking to 24 hours; Shanghai Pudong allows parking for three days and two nights; Shanghai Hongqiao (ZSSS) permits parking for three nights. Flight Restriction To avoid cross traffic with Shanghai Pudong (ZSPD), easterly arrivals to and departures from Shanghai Hongqiao (ZSSS) are prohibited. BCA general concept of the executive FBO is largely unknown in China. There are no real FBOs in China, Universal s Zhang said. They have general aviation terminals instead, but they re trying to understand what customers need. At Beijing there is C-Jet, the closest thing. At Shanghai Pudong, business aviation uses the VIP room; passengers are taken there, and the handler takes the passports to a passenger terminal. On the other hand, fuel is available at all major airports but heading to lesspopular destinations, check before filing. And it s expensive really, really expensive. A permit to get into Beijing runs $5,000, and it costs up to $800 per night for parking depending on where you are, Dunn explained. You can buy parking slots from someone else, and once I paid $5,000 for a parking place at Beijing in addition to the cost of the permit. If I d wanted to drop my passengers and go somewhere else to lay over, the permit still would have cost the same, so it was cheaper. It s basically $30,000 if you have to reposition for parking. At Beijing, you have to use C-Jet s facility, a big building not an FBO that simply allows you to clear without having to go to the terminal. You pay $5,000 just to use the facility each way! And this is true at the facility at Hong Kong, as well. At least that one s more like an executive FBO, small but neat and clean. At C-Jet there is no lounge; it s just a processing center. Nevertheless, Dunn advised operators approaching a trip into the PRC for the first time, that It s an interesting region to fly to especially in the western part of the country, up against the foothills of the Himalayas. Don t shy away from it, but be prepared. It s not a piece of cake to get in and out, but look for solutions. Remember government holidays, especially the Chinese New Year when everything shuts down, so don t try for permits or slots for the first four days of that celebration. Added Collier, Coming in the first time, take your time, don t mess with the immigration people, be patient and understand that it will not be an easy process. Don t expect to be able to go when you want to go: Accept the slot situation and delays. That s how we operate here get used to it. BCA Business & Commercial Aviation November