A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

The most unforgettable thing was meeting an old cotton farmer in the 148th Regiment.

"Comrade Zhai, you don't know?"

Last September, my son and I went to Shandong to look at cotton spinning equipment. We left home at five in the morning to catch a noon flight in Urumqi, but the flight was delayed and we didn't take off until eleven at night.

"I'm over sixty years old, and I sat in the airport for over ten hours straight; my back is so sore I can't straighten up."

"If only Shihezi had direct flights..."

The old cotton farmer's eyes shone with pride. "Even if it's a bit expensive, I'm willing to take it."

Zhai Hongjun wrote all these words down in his notebook.

For three days and three nights, the lights in the airport planning department never went out.

On the morning of the fourth day, Zhai Hongjun looked at the three newly published reports: "Analysis of Air Passenger Flow Data in Shihezi and Surrounding Areas in the Past Three Years", "Report on Air Transport Demand for Specialty Agricultural Products", and "Compilation of Survey Data on Business and Official Travel".

They headed straight for China Southern Airlines again.

When Mr. Wang saw the two-hundred-page data compilation, he was indeed taken aback.

But he only flipped through a few pages before closing the book.

"Manager Zhai, thank you for your hard work."

Mr. Wang's words made Zhai Hongjun's heart sink. "The data is very detailed; it's clear that a lot of work has been done. But—"

But again.

"However, these data only indicate that there is demand, not that the operating costs are covered."

"For a route to be profitable, the load factor must be at least 75%. Your data shows that even in peak season, the average daily outbound passenger flow from Shihezi is only about 100 people, which is not even half full of a regional jet."

Zhai Hongjun said urgently, "We can cultivate the market, and we can work with local governments to introduce subsidy policies—"

"Cultivating a market takes time, and time is a cost."

General Manager Wang interrupted him, "Businesses prioritize profit and cannot sacrifice efficiency for the sake of people's livelihood. That's the reality, Manager Zhai."

He stood up, skipping even the formalities this time: "I have another meeting, so I won't keep you all any longer."

The second attempt to dock the equipment failed once again.

Back at the airport, the atmosphere began to change.

As Zhai Hongjun entered the office building, he overheard people whispering at the end of the corridor: "...another wasted trip. I told them it wouldn't work..."

"I heard that China Southern and China Eastern both rejected them, but they still won't give up..."

"After all the back and forth, the final assessment was affected, and everyone's bonuses went down the drain."

Zhai Hongjun pretended not to hear and walked straight to his office.

Not long after I sat down, Han Jidong, who was in charge of operations, knocked on the door and came in.

"I heard that China Southern and China Eastern are both very firm in their stance?"

Zhai Hongjun nodded without saying anything.

"If you ask me, this matter might really need to be put on hold."

Han Jidong lowered his voice, "You know, although our airport has undergone restructuring, the performance indicators haven't been relaxed at all. If we actually apply for new routes, but the passenger load factor doesn't improve and we end up losing money, it will be a veto in the year-end assessment, affecting everyone's performance and bonuses..."

He paused, observing Zhai Hongjun's expression: "Of course, I'm not saying that people's livelihood is not important."

But the difficulties cotton farmers face in traveling and transporting agricultural products are problems that our airport alone cannot solve. Don't you agree?

Zhai Hongjun was silent for a moment, then said, "If everyone thinks like this, the problem will never be solved."

Han Jidong's expression darkened almost imperceptibly, then he smiled again: "It's good that young people are energetic, but they also need to consider reality."

There are about a hundred people working at the airport, and they all depend on this job to support their families.

"Think about it again, no rush, no rush."

That afternoon, Zhai Hongjun went for a walk around the tarmac.

Old Xue was inspecting ground support equipment when he saw him and waved.

"Manager Zhai, I heard that the flight route issue has run into trouble again?"

Zhai Hongjun gave a wry smile: "You've heard about it too?"

"The airport is only so big, what can't get out?"

Old Xue sighed: "If you ask me, it's better to avoid trouble."

"Isn't it good that things are going smoothly like this, with flights running smoothly and salaries being paid on time?"

"But Master Xue, don't you think Shihezi should have its own shipping route?" Zhai Hongjun asked.

Old Xue was silent for a while: "I watched the airport change from a dirt runway to what it is now."

To say I don't want any flight routes would be a lie. But..."

He glanced at the terminal building in the distance. "We have to face reality. Without passengers, airlines won't fly; that's the hard truth."

"If you don't try, there will never be a chance," Zhai Hongjun said.

Old Xue laughed: "You're just like your dad."

Zhai Hongjun's father was a first-generation military reclamation worker who built this city on a barren beach.

Zhai Hongjun remembers his father saying, "Shihezi is a place where you have to find a way out of the impossible."

At 10 p.m., Zhai Hongjun was still in his office.

The three data reports were spread out on the table, next to a map of Xinjiang. He circled Shihezi in red pen and drew radiating lines—to Urumqi, to Karamay, to Yining, to Korla...

Each line represents a group of people who need to travel by multiple routes.

My phone rang; it was my wife calling.

"You're still awake?"

"Almost there, there are still some documents to review."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone: "Hong Jun, I heard today that someone at your airport has objections to your project?"

"That's normal; there will be resistance to anything new."

"I'm just worried about you..."

His wife's voice was weary. "Your father ruined his health because he worked too hard. What are you doing working like this, day and night?"

Looking at the airport lights outside the window, Zhai Hongjun said slowly, "I hope that people from this city can suffer less when they go out."

A long sigh came from the other end of the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Zhai Hongjun turned on his computer and created a new document.

The title is: "A Re-analysis of the Necessity and Feasibility of Opening Direct Flight Routes at Shihezi Airport—Also Discussing the Responsibilities and Roles of Small and Medium-Sized Airports in Regional Development."

He typed the first line: "When everyone is only concerned with economic gains, someone has to consider the people's livelihood."

Outside the window, the last overnight flight slowly taxied into its parking position, its navigation lights flickering in the night.

Zhai Hongjun knew that this was only the beginning.

With the airlines giving it the cold shoulder and internal doubts following, this route is destined to face a bumpy road.

But he also knew that some things, if they were not started, would never have a result.

He continued typing, adding line after line of text to the document.

He will continue down this path.

At the airport's mid-level meeting, when Zhai Hongjun once again raised the need to improve the plan and continue to advance the route application, the air in the meeting room noticeably became tense.

"Mr. Zhai, I'm not trying to be mean, but..."

Finance Department Chief Wang pushed up his glasses. "How much manpower and resources have you invested in this matter in the past six months?"

Business trip expense reimbursements alone have increased by 30% compared to the same period last year.

If this continues, we'll all be in trouble if we exceed the budget by the end of the year.

Sister Li from the operations department chimed in: "Yes, Manager Zhai, our airport is operating quite smoothly right now, why take this risk?"

"If the route application is approved, but then it's suspended after a few months of operation, that would be truly embarrassing."