China teams up with U.S. firms to build aviation navigation database

China's top aviation regulator partnered with U.S. companies Wednesday to develop the country's aviation navigation database.

The air traffic management bureau with the Civil Aviation Administration of China inked a cooperation agreement with U.S. aviation solutions provider Jeppesen and industrial giant Honeywell to make a sound database for aviation navigation.

The terminal 1 of Changbei airport at Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. [Photo: VCG]

China is home to 235 civil airports, but only 66 of them can have their data coded into the aviation navigation database, posing risks to flight safety, according to Che Jinjun, head of the air traffic management bureau.

Navigation for aircrafts is more demanding than other transport vehicles in terms of data precision and timeliness.

China has been addressing an incomplete aviation navigation database for several years and the partnership will help offer new solutions, according to Che.

Over 5.1 million flight were made last year, up 9.48 percent year-on-year, while flight punctuality rate fell by 5.09 percent year-on-year to 71.67 percent in 2017, official data showed.