China, India airports struggle to meet air travel boom
China and India's air infrastructure is creaking under the soaring demand for air travel and huge investment is needed to satisfy the boom, officials said Tuesday.

Both countries are enjoying an unprecedented aviation boom, with China's air traffic expected to double every five years and India seeing an increase of 29 percent in the number of flights taken from its airports this year.

But the growth is exposing a lack of airports and inadequate facilities, forcing them to invest rapidly to prevent stunting their economic booms, officials from both countries told the Asian Aerospace International Expo and Congress here.

"The number of airports in China is insufficient and there is a need for more development in the future," said Shao Daojie, deputy director-general for airports, in the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China.

Speaking at the airshow, Shao said 73 airports were now under construction across the country, bringing a total of around 190 airports by 2010


AFP