China has outlined a blueprint to build 1,600 new general aviation airports in most of its 2,800 counties during the next 15 years from 2015 to 2030, 21st Century Business Herald reported Tuesday citing the General Aviation Airport Layout by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

CAAC chief Li Jiaxiang proposed the idea of each country has an airport after the annual two-sessions that there is a vast market potential in connecting some 2,800 counties with general aviation aircraft as a part of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20).

China currently has just 78 county airports. Mr. Li predicted that the huge infrastructure project will spur new momentum for China's economic growth, saying that 280 billion yuan will be generated if every county has a general airport, versus only 78 currently available for general aviation.

"The development of general aviation will not only greatly enhance China's infrastructure, drive massive investment in infrastructure and manufacturing, but also provide an impetus for emerging industries like private jet manufacturing and air ambulances," Li Xiaojin, a professor at the Civil Aviation University of China.

According to the National Development and Reform Commission, the nation has approved nearly 20 airport projects since May 2012, including both expansion of existing airports and building new ones.

The plan comes right in time for the government's gradual relaxation on the ban on low-altitude aircraft, along with the delegation of approval rights for general aviation airports to local governments, the professor added.

Meanwhile, the authorities are mulling removing the limit for which general aircraft are allowed to fly; currently, they can only fly at an altitude below 1,000 meters.

However, it will not be easy to achieve Mr. Li's suggestion of limiting local governments' involvement in the airports, an industry expert noted.