Regional flights 'indispensable' for nation's healthy development

The rapid development of regional aviation in China will speed fulfillment of the Belt and Road Initiative, but many obstacles still need to be overcome, industry insiders said.

"Connectivity is the very foundation for cross-border trade, tourism and other forms of exchange. Regional aviation is indispensable in the efforts to fulfill the Belt and Road Initiative because of its special advantages over road and rail transport. Its infrastructure requires a shorter construction period and lower investment, it is safer and faster and it has smaller impact on the environment," said Xiao Zhiyuan, vice-president of Aviation Industry Corp of China's economics and technology research arm.

Regional aviation can collect passengers from small cities and transport them to major air hubs for long-distance flights, enabling more people to travel out of their hometowns to see the outside world and know other cultures, thereby improving people-to-people exchanges and mutual understanding.