Flight training to surge as skies get more open

China's national civil aviation authority said the country will need to train about half a million civilian pilots by 2035, giving hope to wannabe fliers chasing dreams of landing lucrative jobs at new air service operators.

The aviation boom comes as China - seeking to boost its transportation infrastructure - begins next year to allow private planes to fly below 1,000 meters without military approval. Commercial airlines won't be affected, but more than 200 new companies have applied for general-aviation operating licenses, while China's high-rollers are also eager for permits to fly in their own planes.

The civil aviation authority's training unit can only handle up to 100 students a year. With the rest of China's 12 or so existing pilot schools bursting at the seams, foreign players are joining local firms in laying the groundwork for new courses that can run to hundreds of thousands of dollars per trainee.