New regulations will help develop China's smaller airports by reclassifying them as public infrastructure and therefore able to receive government subsidies.
The new laws will come into effect on July 1 and are expected to benefit more than 100 smaller airports serving outlying areas and developing regions.
China had a total of 160 registered airports last year and plans to have 244 by 2020.
China has 103 small airports, classified as those serving fewer than one million passengers per year, amounting to around 6.4 percent of all air passengers in 2006.
New airport projects worth RMB200 billion (US$29 billion) will begin this year as part of the central government's economic stimulus plan.
Kenny Coyle
