China will build 45 new airports over the next five years, said Li Jiaxing, the head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. This will bring the total number of airports in the country to 220, despite the fact that 133 existing airports are currently loss-making, according to an interview by Reuters with Mr Li.

The aviation sector is to receive Rmb1,500bn of government investment between now and 2015 as demand for air travel in the country continues to rise. Goldman Sachs predicts that passenger demand will increase 15 per cent in 2011.