General aviation hub reaches for the sky

As China's private aircraft sector prepares for takeoff, reform is desperately needed, as Zhao Lei reports from Faku, Liaoning province

Until three years ago, only a few businesspeople involved in the dairy industry or the production of ceramic products had ever heard of Faku.

However since 2012, the county, in Liaoning province in northeastern China, has gained national renown as a hub for "general aviation", a term that encompasses all flights other than those operated by commercial airlines and the military, such as private aircraft, police aviation and air-charter services.