Civil Aviation Administration Of China Research Articles

Construction of flight planning and loading courses under the new generation transportation system

Facing the development of the new generation of air transportation, the Civil Aviation Administration of China has successively promulgated the CCAR-121-R5-R7 version of the "Certification Rules for the Operation of Large Aircraft Public Air Transport Carriers". With the introduction of the latest national regulations, existing teaching materials and teaching content are no longer suitable for student training needs. Through the construction of industry-university collaborative education projects, analyze the connotation and extension of flight planning and loading courses, compile new teaching materials for flight planning and loading courses, establish a good teaching team for flight planning and loading courses, and form flight planning and loading courses. The course's on-campus teachers and industry experts have jointly created an online and offline teaching model, and established an assessment system that combines standard answer exams and non-standard answer exams for flight planning and loading.

Assessing Flight Crew Fatigue under Extra Augmented Crew Schedule Using a Multimodality Approach

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the question of how to reduce the risk of viral infection for international airline pilots without increasing the risk of fatigue was a novel and urgent theoretical and practical problem, which had never been encountered in the world civil aviation industry. A new scheduling method implemented by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is the extra augmented crew (EAC) schedule, which avoids crew layover in another country on international flights by extending the maximum duty time and adding two additional crew members to such long-haul flights. In this study, a multi-day flight crew fatigue assessment was conducted to evaluate the impact of EAC flight. We recruited 71 pilots as participants, and their fatigue during EAC flights was measured using a multimodality approach integrating a subjective fatigue report, a psychomotor vigilance task, sleep monitoring, and biomathematical model predictions. The results showed that the subjective fatigue level increased during duty time compared to off-duty time, but still with acceptable levels of under 7, as measured by the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale; objective secondary task performance, as measured by the classic psychomotor vigilance task, showed no differences; pilots were able to get around 6 h of sleep, although they slept less during duty time compared to off-duty time. Model fitting using the FAID biomathematical model of fatigue confirmed that the EAC scheduling was compliant with the FAID tolerance level 91.3% of the time. The results suggest that the EAC flight created some moderate level of increased fatigue but no severe fatigue to cross-continent long-haul flight crews. This research can inform current and future scheduling and fatigue risk control during the pandemic or for future time-sensitive periods.

Assessment of pilot fatigue risk on international flights under the prevention and control policy of the Chinese civil aviation industry during the COVID-19

BackgroundTo predict the fatigue risk of pilots of international flights in the Chinese civil aviation industry flying under the new operating model during the COVID-19 outbreak, and provide scientific audit materials for airlines to the Civil Aviation Administration of China. MethodsThe FAID Quantum software model was used as a scientific analysis tool for pilot's fatigue risk prediction, while the KSS fatigue self-assessment scale and the PVT objective detection of pilot fatigue risk were used in an empirical experimental research method to conduct a comprehensive analysis and assessment of the fatigue risk of flight crews under both the CCAR-121 and exemption policies before and after the COVID-19 epidemic. At the same time, the applicability of the exemption policy is validated based on the comparison results under the two policies. ResultsIn terms of FAID model simulation results, 7.37705% of the flight time for pilots operating under the CCAR-121 policy was obtained to be in the fatigue risk concern tier, compared to 0% for pilots operating under the exemption policy. In addition, there were fewer data for pilots with KSS scores above 6 for exemption policy flights compared to CCAR-121 policy, while exemption policy broke the KTL limit for less time than CCAR-121 policy. The average time level of pilot fatigue attainment under exemption policy operations was higher than the target level and the operation level set by CCAR-121 policy. Empirical results from both the KSS subjective fatigue self-assessment method and the PVT objective alertness test confirm that the overall level of flight crew fatigue risk under the exemption policy is lower or similar to the level of flight crew fatigue risk under the CCAR-121 policy. ConclusionBy comparing FAID Quantum model simulations and empirical experimental validation under both CCAR-121 and exemption policies, it is verified that the fatigue risk level of pilot crews under exemption policy is lower than that under CCAR-121 policy, and it is feasible to implement exemption policy during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Risk assessment method for controlled flight into terrain of airlines based on QAR data

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the risk of controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) for airlines and to develop a practical method for evaluating and predicting CFIT risk to ensure safe and efficient airline operations.Design/methodology/approachIn accordance with the monitoring project specification issued by the Flight Standards Department of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), a preliminary draft of evaluation indicators for CFIT risk was developed based on the literature review and semi-structured interviews. Fifteen aviation experts were then selected and invited to participate in a Delphi method to revise the draft. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy weight method were used to determine the combined weight of the indicators. The variable fuzzy set model and quick access recorder (QAR) data were applied to evaluate the CFIT risk of an airline from 2007 to 2018, and the classification results were compared with actual operational data.FindingsThe research findings reveal that the six most significant monitoring items affecting CFIT risk are incorrect configuration settings during landing, loss of altitude during climbing, ground proximity warning, G/S deviation, flap extension delay during landing and incorrect takeoff configuration. The CFIT risk of airlines has shown an increasing trend since 2015. The values in 2010, 2017 and 2018 were greater than 2 and less than 2.5, indicating that the CFIT risk is at Level 2, close to Level 3, and the risk is low but approaching medium.Practical implicationsUsing the combination weight determined by AHP and entropy weight method to rank the weight of 15 monitoring items, airlines can take necessary measures (simulator training, knowledge training) to reduce the occurrence of monitoring items with high weight to reduce CFIT risk. This risk assessment method can quantitatively evaluate the CFIT risk of airlines and provide theoretical guidance and technical support for airlines to formulate safety management measures and flight training programs, enabling the interconnection between QAR data and flight quality.Originality/valueThe proposed method in this study differs from traditional approaches by offering a quantitative assessment of CFIT risk for airlines and enabling the interconnection between QAR data and flight quality.

A Big Data-Driven Risk Assessment Method Using Machine Learning for Supply Chains in Airport Economic Promotion Areas

With the rapid development of economic globalization, population, capital and information are rapidly flowing and clustering between regions. As the most important transportation mode in the high-speed transportation systems, airports are playing an increasingly important role in promoting regional economic development, yielding a number of airport economic promotion areas. To boost effective development management of these areas, accurate risk assessment through data analysis is quite important. Thus in this paper, the idea of ensemble learning is utilized to propose a big data-driven assessment model for supply chains in airport economic promotion areas. In particular, we combine two aspects of data from different sources: (1) national economic statistics and enterprise registration data from the Bureau of Industry and Commerce; (2) data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China and other multi-source data. On this basis, an integrated ensemble learning method is constructed to quantitatively analyze the supply chain security characteristics in domestic airport economic area, providing important support for the security of supply chains in airport economic area. Finally, some experiments are conducted on synthetic data to evaluate the method investigated in this paper, which has proved its efficiency and practice.

Exploring topics and trends in Chinese ATC incident reports using a domain-knowledge driven topic model

The primary objective of this study is to discover hidden topics and trends from historical ATC incident reports. A novel domain-knowledge driven topic (DDT) model is proposed to explore the embedded patterns and hidden connections in ATC incident reports. Seventeen-year ATC incident records are collected from Local Air Traffic Management Branch of Civil Aviation Administration of China to illustrate the procedure. First, a total of twenty topics are identified from the collected reports, including aircraft-flight-operation related topics, crew-activities related topics, airspace-control-transfer related topics and others. Then, the topic evolution trend over years is explored, which identifies four hot topics and four cold topics over the study period. The results reveal that in general the contributing factors of ATC incidents are gradually shifting from external factors (e.g., radar equipment or aircraft components) to human related factors (e.g., instruction communication or handover of airspace control) due to the improved quality of communication equipment and some adjustments of ATC rules over the past two decades. Finally, the topic evolution analyses across different ATC areas and flight phases are further conducted. The findings indicate that the potential causes of ATC incidents are different across various ATC areas and flight phases due to the variation in geographical environment and local policies. The results of this research can help local ATC authorities conduct efficient safety performance assessment, implement proactive countermeasures for specific areas to enhance air traffic safety, and provide aviation authorities with insightful suggestions for ATC process optimization and design.

Research on the evolutionary game of the supervision of civil aviation dangerous goods transportation training

Abstract This study is carried out to promote the precise supervision of dangerous goods transportation training, improve the efficiency of civil aviation supervision and further ensure the safety of air transportation. First, from the perspective of behaviour interaction and interest demands, evolutionary game theory is used to construct a tripartite evolutionary game model of dangerous goods transportation training institutions, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the public. Then, the evolutionary game equilibrium of the system is further analysed under the joint action of the three parties. Finally, the influences of important parameters of the model on the behavioural strategy selection of the three parties are investigated via MATLAB numerical simulation. The conclusions reveal that the system has three evolutionarily stable strategies under different parameters, namely (non-compliant training, supervision, non-participation in supervision), (non-compliant training, supervision, participation in supervision) and (compliant training, supervision, non-participation in supervision). Moreover, the CAAC supervision cost, the fine amount, the supervision cost of public participation, the supervision success rate and the reporting reward amount are the main parameters that affect the behavioural strategy selection of the tripartite game players. The conclusions and suggestions of this study provide a decision-making basis and guidance for the supervision and management of civil aviation dangerous goods transportation training.

Fatigue during Long-Haul Flights of Different Crew Compositions under Exemption from Layover and Flight Time during COVID-19.

Pilot fatigue and alertness are critical for civil aviation safety. Intercontinental pilots are more prone to fatigue and sleepiness due to jet lag, prolonged workdays, and disrupted rhythms. The Civil Aviation Administration of China excused enlarged flight crews from mandatory layovers and reimposed flight duration restrictions during COVID-19. This study investigates the sleep quality and attentional performance of pilots on intercontinental flights. The fifteen pilots who performed intercontinental flights in different crew compositions wore a body movement recorder, which has been proven to accurately estimate sleep duration and sleep efficiency. The crew’s attentional performance and self-report were monitored at specified flight phases. In conclusion, the larger crews slept longer and more efficiently on board, particularly pilots in charge of takeoff and landing responsibilities. Crews on four-pilot layover flights were more alert before the takeoff of the inbound flights than exempt flights, but there was no significant difference towards the end of the mission. The new long-haul flight organization did not result in fatigue or decreased attention in the pilots. This study expands on the research by validating a novel intercontinental flight operation model under the COVID-19 scenario and highlighting critical spots for future fatigue management in various crew compositions.

Flight crew fatigue risk assessment for international flights under the COVID-19 outbreak response exemption policy

BackgroundIn response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has formulated Implementation Measures for Exemption of Crew Duty Periods and Flight Time Restrictions during the COVID-19 Outbreak. This exemption policy imposes temporary deviations from the approved crew duty periods and flight time restrictions for some transport airlines and regulates the use of multiple crews for continuous round-trip flights. However, no research has been conducted on flight crew fatigue under this exemption policy. That is, the exemption policy lacks theoretical analysis and scientific validation.MethodsFirstly, flight plans for international flights under both the exemption and the CCAR-121 Policy schemes (with three flight departure scenarios: early morning, midday and evening) are designed, and flight plans are simulated based on the SAFE model. The Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) and the PVT objective test of alertness, both of which are commonly used in the aviation industry, are then selected for use in an empirical experimental study of flight crew fatigue on two flights subject to the exemption and CCAR-121 policies.ResultsThe SAFE model simulation found that the fatigue risk results based on flight crews for flights departing in the early morning (4:00), at noon (12:00) and in the evening (20:00) indicate that the fatigue risk levels of flight crews operating under the exemption policy are overwhelmingly lower than or similar to those operating under the CCAR-121 policy. However, there were a few periods when the fatigue risk of crews flying under the exemption policy was higher than that of crews flying under the CCAR-121 policy, but at these times, the crews flying under both policies were either at a lower level of fatigue risk or were in the rest phase of their shifts. In the experimental study section, 40 pilots from each of the early morning (4:00), noon (12:00) and evening (20:00) departures operating under the exemption policy were selected to collect KSS scale data and PVT test data during their duty periods, and a total of 120 other pilots operating under the CCAR-121 policy were selected for the same experiment. First, the KSS scale data results found that flight pilots, whether flying under the exemption policy or under the CCAR-121 policy, had overall similar KSS scores, maintained KSS scores below the fatigue risk threshold (i.e., KSS score < 6) during the flights and that the empirical KSS data and the model simulation results from the KSS data were overall identical at the test nodes during the flight and had nearly identical trends. Finally, the results of the PVT objective test indicators showed that the overall change in 1/RT of the crews flying under the exemption policy was less than or similar to that of the crews flying under the CCAR-121 policy, while the maximum change in 1/RT of the crews under both policies was between 1 and 1.5. This indicates that the overall level of alertness of the crew flying under the exemption policy is higher than or similar to that of the crew flying under the CCAR-121 policy, while the change in alertness level of the crew before and after the mission is relatively small when flying under either policy.ConclusionBased on the model simulation results and the results of the empirical study, it was verified that the overall fatigue risk level of flight crews operating under the exemption policy is lower than or similar to the fatigue risk level of flight crews operating under the CCAR-121 policy. Therefore, the exemption policy in response to the COVID-19 outbreak does not result in an overall increase in the level of flight crew fatigue risk compared to the original CCAR-121 policy.

Beyond Litigation: The Use of ADR in Resolving Disputes Between Air Carriers and Passengers: China’s Perspective

In 2019, the Transportation Department of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the Consumer Affairs Center and the China Air Transport Association have received 30,462 complaints from consumers. Meanwhile, the Consumers Association had accepted 9,010 complaints about disputes on air passenger transport in 2020. Traditionally, such disputes are usually resolved through litigation if the two parties could not reach consensus concerning the compensation. However, litigation is time-consuming and not consumer-friendly, therefore, the alternative dispute resolution (ADR), including arbitration and mediation, may be more appropriate, since most of those disputes are simple in terms of the fact and the amount of compensation involved. This article analyses the advantages of ADR in resolving the disputes compared with litigation based on the Chinese judicial practices. It then points out that the application of ADR in this area is not fully recognized and developed in China, and suggests that measures should be adopted to promote the application of ADR in the future. ADR, air passenger, air carrier, online dispute resolution

A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (SMS) IN AVIATION WITH A FOCUS ON THE SAFETY LEVEL

Safety is generally characterised as the state of being “safe”, the condition of being protected from harm or other non-desirable consequences. One effective way of achieving it is to implement a safety management system (SMS). SMS should be seen as an aggregate strategic aspect of standard business management, understanding its high priority to safety. This article describes and illustrates SMS in aviation, focusing on the similarities and differences in the system approaches adopted by selected Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs) with the primary focus on the safety level. The main goal is to provide a structural comparison of the system framework within individual CAAs and its explanation in safety-related documents. This article also dealt with the chosen safety approach (reactive, proactive and predictive) and safety performance indicators (SPIs), forming a quality and effective safety system that maintains an acceptable safety level. Finally, this article is mainly based on datasets publicly available through the International Civil Aviation Organisation, Transport Canada, Civil Aviation Safety Authority Australia, Federal Aviation Administration, UK Civil Aviation Authority, Civil Aviation Administration of China and Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand websites and documentation related to safety.

Fatigue Models for Airfield Concrete Pavement: Literature Review and Discussion.

The fatigue model plays an important role in the mechanistic–empirical design procedure of airfield pavement. As for cement concrete pavement, the fatigue model represents the relationship between the stress and the number of load repetitions. To further understand the fatigue model, a literature review was performed in this paper along with the discussion. In this paper, the developed fatigue models available now were classified as the full-scale testing-based fatigue model and the concrete beam testing-based fatigue model, according to the data source. Then, the regression analysis process and stress calculation method of each fatigue model were summarized. Besides, the fatigue model proposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was compared with the fatigue model of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The design thicknesses using the two models were obtained based on the finite element analysis. The results show that the designed slab using the fatigue model of FAA is thicker than that of CAAC, meaning that the fatigue model of FAA is comparatively conservative. Moreover, it can be concluded that the differences in the slab thickness become more significant with the increase in the wheel load and the foundation strength. Finally, the recommendation was proposed to refine the fatigue model in the future study from three aspects: data source, stress calculation method, and regression analysis process.

Airport subsidies and domestic inbound tourism in China

Since 2013, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has subsidized small and medium-sized airports. The key objective of this study is to empirically validate the benefits and impacts of airport subsidies in facilitating domestic tourism development. This study contributes to the aviation and tourism literature and offers important insights to policymakers regarding airport subsidies and tourism promotion. The empirical results show that increases in airport subsidies increased airport passenger throughput and indirectly brought more tourists to the cities where airports are located. In addition, the airport subsidy scheme has had a stronger effect in boosting domestic tourist arrivals in inland regions compared with coastal regions. This study empirically finds that the government's airport subsidy scheme for small and medium-sized airports has been effective in supporting aviation and tourism development in ethnic minority areas, poor or remote regions with inconvenient land transportation.

Development of BeiDou Satellite‐Based Augmentation System

<h3>Abstract</h3> China is developing its BeiDou Satellite-Based Augmentation System (BDSBAS) in accordance with international standards, and it has provided initial Single Frequency (SF) and Dual-Frequency Multi-Constellation (DFMC) services since July 2020. This paper gives a comprehensive introduction to BDSBAS from the aspects of its general design, system time datum, coordinate reference system and signal characteristics. The performance requirements and internationalization endeavors of BDSBAS also are presented. Additionally, the initial performance tests of BDSBAS SF service had been carried out based on the first two BDSBAS Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites, including the quality of signal-in-space, and initial accuracy, integrity and availability. The results show that the characteristics of BDSBAS signal-in-space can well meet the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and the initial performance of BDSBAS SF service can basically meet the requirements of Approach with Vertical guidance I (APV-I). Finally, before the application of BDSBAS services into civil aviation uses, testing and certification will be organized by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and carried out in three steps. In the future, China will continue to promote the development of BDSBAS in a steady manner in order to provide aviation integrity services compatible with the ICAO standards in China and the surrounding areas as soon as possible.

Integrating Ergonomics Into Safety Management: A Conceptual Risk Assessment Model for Tower Controllers at Multiple Altitudes

Plateau and high plateau airports aggravate tower controllers' vulnerability, facing high safety risks, yet the risk evaluation paradigm to manage safety at multiple altitudes still lacks. The study aimed to investigate the effects of altitudes on controllers' mental workload and fatigue to assess the safety risk and introduced voices, mental workload, and fatigue, into a conceptual risk assessment model. Controllers from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) conducted the experimental tasks, reporting mental workload and perception fatigue across three altitudes: 0 m, 2243 m, and 3569.7 m. With experimental data: this research (1) quantitatively compared the voice feature differences with feature engineering, and an image quality measure, (2) explored the effects of altitude, sleep, and fatigue, (3) tested the effects of altitude and task complexity on mental workload, and (4) evaluated the airport safety risks under ergonomic factors. Notably, the study revealed that Log-Mel spectrograms outperformed Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC) in severe fatigue detection. Altitude and task complexity had significant main effects on the mental workload, but altitude had no significant moderator effects on the relationship between sleep and fatigue. The simulation results show that under the low task complexity, the operation risk is low over three airport elevations (with the human error rate <; 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-3</sup> ), whereas under the high task complexity, the operation risk increased with altitudes (from 1.73×10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-3</sup> to 1.02×10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-1</sup> ). Together, these results suggest that ergonomic factors influenced airport safety risk at multiple altitudes and promising real-time fatigue detection with voice features at different altitudes.

A birdstrike risk assessment model and its application at Ordos Airport, China

Birdstrikes are an important threat to aviation safety. A standardized, scientific process for assessing birdstrike risk could prevent accidents, thereby improving the flight safety and reducing economic losses. However, China currently lacks a unified birdstrike risk assessment system. Here, we propose and validate a new model for assessing birdstrike risk in order to fill that need. The model consists of two elements. First, empirical data are collected on the occurrence of birds at the airport and in a surrounding 8 km buffer. Second, each species is evaluated with a risk assessment matrix that takes into account the number of birds, weight, flight altitude, a tendency to cluster, and range of activity. These five factors allow each species to be divided into one of three risk levels: high danger (level 3), moderate danger (level 2) and low danger (level 1). We propose corresponding birdstrike prevention measures for each level. We apply this method to the civil aviation airport in Ordos, China. We found that 20 of the 118 species of birds in and around the airport were high danger birds (level 3). To validate this process, we compared these species with records of birdstrike accidents in a database maintained by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for 2007–2016. We found that 42% of the species we identified as high risk had been involved in at least one birdstrike accident, and that the remaining 58% belonged to families that appeared in the database. The high degree of overlap gives us high confidence in the practicality of our risk assessment model, which is based on the risk management concept of ISO 31000. Critically, this new model and method for predicting bird strike risk can be replicated at other airports around the world, even where no extensive records have been kept of past birdstrikes.

Morphological modifications of C60 crystal rods under hydrothermal conditions* *Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11804384, 51802343, and 51772326), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China (Grant No. 3122018L006), the Scientific Research Project of Tianjin Education Commission (Grant No. 2019ZD19), the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Civil Aviation Administration

We observed morphological modification of rod-shaped C60 solvate crystals using a facile hydrothermal method. The initial C60 rods were changed from smooth rods to rough rods, porous rods or pieces under different hydrothermal conditions. During the hydrothermal treatment, the initial samples underwent a decomposition-recrystallization process, which can be tuned by the content of alcohol in the hydrothermal solution, thereby leading to modification of the morphological properties of the initial C60 rods. In addition, the rough and porous C60 rods prepared in our work exhibit excellent photoluminescence intensities that are approximately 7 and 3 times higher than those of pure C60 powders, respectively. Our results suggest that the hydrothermal method is a potential route for fabricating fullerene materials with controllable morphologies and novel functions.

An Improved Whale Algorithm for Setting Standard Scheduled Block Time Based on the Airline Fairness

Standard scheduled flight block time (SBT) setting is of great concern for Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and airlines in China. However, the standard scheduled flight block times are set in the form of on-site meetings in practice and current literature has not provided any efficient mathematical models to calculate the flight block times fairly among the airlines. The objective of this paper is to develop and solve a mathematical model for standard SBT setting with consideration of both fairness and reliability. We use whale optimization algorithm (WOA) and an improved version of the whale optimization algorithm (IWOA) to solve the SBT setting problem. A novel nonlinear update equation of convergence factor for random iterations is used in place of the original linear one in the proposed IWOA algorithm. Experimental results show that the suggested approach is effective, and IWOA performs better than WOA in the concerned problem, whose solutions are better compared to the flight block times released by CAAC. In particular, it is interesting to find that MSE, RMSE, MAE, MAPE and Theil of the reliability in 60%–70% range are always the smallest and the average fairness of airlines is better than that of 60%–75% range. The model and solving approach presented in this article have great potential to be applied by CAAC to determine the standard SBTs strategically.

The airline transport regulation and development of public health crisis in megacities of China

BackgroundThe Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) declares the airline transport regulation in January 2020 to help retard the spread of the novel coronavirus disease in China. This study is to examine the effect of airline transport regulation on confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease in megacities in China. MethodsThis study combines the multi-source data from the health data platform DXY, the airline data platform Airsavvi, the China Economic Internet Statistical Database and the China Railway website. The megacities whose airports have a passenger throughput of over 30 million per year (11 megacities: Wuhan, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Kunming, Xi'an, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Nanjing) are included in the analysis. The regression analysis is conducted in this study. ResultsThe curvilinear relationship between the limitation on air traffic and confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease is identified (coefficient of the linear term = −4.650, p-value < 0.01; coefficient of the quadratic term = 4.089, p-value < 0.01). ConclusionsThis study confirms the effectiveness of airline transport regulation in suppressing the development of this pandemic. The limitation on air traffic is found to negatively affect the confirmed cases in China's megacities. However, such effect marginally recedes as the strength of limitation intensifies. It suggests that comprehensive policy intervention is in need and air traffic can be one of important determinants that affect the epidemic development.

Make Cloud Out of Air: The Allocation of Infrastructure Management Responsibilities and Regional Economic Development

Transportation infrastructure promotes regional economic development. Previous research mainly focuses on the construction of infrastructure, and the maintenance and operation of infrastructure to a large extent is ignored. However, infrastructure is a kind of capital that delivers the flow of service for the whole economy. To fully exploit transportation infrastructure to raise economic development, it is important to utilize the local information and improve the operational efficiency of infrastructure.In 2003, due to the substantial fiscal burden, Civil Aviation Administration of China decided to transfer the ownership and management responsibilities of almost all existing airports, except the Beijing Capital Airport and the airports in Tibet, to the provincial governments. This reform effectively reduced the distance to monitor the agent, and was expected to improve the operational efficiency of airports. This paper studies the causal impact of this reform on regional economic development. We employ a triple difference estimation to evaluate the impact of this reform on city-level total factor productivities（TFP）. In particular, we consider the variation in three dimensions: time, whether a city has an airport, and the reliance on air-travel, defined by the ratio of firms in air-travel-related industries to total number of firms in a city. It is shown that after the reform, the cities with airports significantly increased the TFP by 9.4%. Moreover, the cities with airports and higher reliance on air-travel-related industries enjoyed an additional 3.1% increase in TFP. A variety of robustness checks and placebo tests confirm the causal impact. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the benefits of airport localization reform mainly leave to the Eastern and Central Area. Further analysis suggests that the localization reform raises the complementary transportation infrastructure investment, and boosts the export.This research indicates that the management of transportation infrastructure should consider the incentives and information of different agents, and empower the local government to match the rights with responsibilities and interests. This would substantially improve the efficiency of infrastructure, and fully integrate the infrastructure into the regional economy.