China's civil aviation industry gets smarter

China's civil aviation industry has become smarter, thanks to the introduction of new-generation digital technologies and management modes.

In 2021, major progress was achieved in building a smart civil aviation industry in fields such as airport management and aircraft in-flight connectivity, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said.

By the end of 2021, 66 airports nationwide were capable of providing facial recognition services, the CAAC said.

Meanwhile, 234 airports could serve passengers with "paperless "journeys by introducing e-boarding and e-security checks, allowing passengers to travel with only identification cards and eliminating the need for conventional paper boarding tickets.

Also, 842 aircraft in China's civil aviation fleet were capable of providing in-flight Wi-Fi services.

China also launched an "easy security check" service, which provides safer and more efficient security-check measures at major airports with an annual passenger throughput of more than 10 million people.

"It's a new security-check mode sustained by information technologies," said Li Tong, deputy head with the public security bureau of the CAAC. "Under ideal conditions, passengers could save up to half the time by going through the new security check at airports."

The application of digital technologies is of vital importance to ensure safety, efficiency and sustainable growth, it said.

The CAAC is committed to making the industry smarter by integrating new-generation digital technologies into the whole industry from air travel, air logistics and Customs clearance, to the industry's operation and supervision, according to the CAAC's smart aviation strategy.

The administration has also been actively promoting radio-frequency identification technology in luggage tracking, automatic luggage check-in and intelligent inquiry services, among others.

Innovation is among the key tasks of the CAAC to ensure high-quality development of the industry this year, with smart aviation as a highlight. The administration said it will also boost the development of the BeiDou navigation system and the industrial application of 5G technology in the civil aviation sector.

Xinhua