A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

After a year of successful operation of the expanded route, Han Jidong was invited to share his experience at the National Civil Aviation Work Conference.

Standing on the podium, he looked at the sea of ​​people below, including leaders from the Civil Aviation Administration, representatives from major airlines, and heads of airports from all over the country.

"Our route has actually been developed through constant trial and error."

Han Jidong spoke very frankly, "From the initial lack of passenger flow data, to security check congestion, to transportation difficulties in pastoral areas... every problem has given us a headache."

He showed a series of before-and-after photos of how the problem was solved, which sparked a few quiet discussions in the room.

"But we found that these problems are not unique to us."

Han Jidong switched to a PowerPoint presentation, which showed a map of Xinjiang with more than a dozen remote airports marked on it. "Xinjiang also has more than a dozen branch airports facing the same predicament."

And there are many more such border airports across the country.

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room: "So I'm thinking, can the experience we've developed in human-machine collaboration security check solutions, route operation alliance models, and aviation + industry linkage mechanisms be transformed into a set of standards?"

A replicable and scalable set of operational standards for border feeder airports?

After he finished speaking, the hall was silent for a few seconds, then burst into enthusiastic applause.

After the meeting, the deputy director of the Civil Aviation Administration personally approached Han Jidong and said, "Xiao Han, your idea is excellent."

Frontier aviation development is a national strategy, but it has long lacked systematic operational guidance.

Would you be willing to take the lead in developing this standard?

"We are willing!"

Han Jidong said without hesitation: "But we still need more experience and data from airports."

"Don't worry, the bureau will give you full support."

Upon returning to the company, Han Jidong immediately assembled a standards-setting team.

Old Wang volunteered to take charge of the finance module, Old Xue was in charge of the security check process, Li Ming was in charge of the technical standards, Xiao Yang was in charge of marketing, and even Zhai Yang was pulled in to take charge of the data analysis module.

The first group meeting turned into a huge argument.

"Standards shouldn't be too rigid!"

Old Xue slammed his fist on the table. "The situations on the border vary greatly. Your security check procedures are so detailed that some small airports simply can't implement them!"

Li Ming protested, "Without a unified standard, how can we guarantee safety? Are we expecting each airport to create its own?"

"I mean we need to consider the actual situation..."

"The actual situation is not a reason to lower standards!"

Seeing that the two were about to clash again, Han Jidong tapped the table: "Stop arguing."

Lao Xue is right, standards should be flexible; Li Ming is also right, the bottom line of safety cannot be broken.

Let's set a basic standard that all airports must meet; then we'll set an upgrade standard that airports with better conditions can strive for. What do you think?

The two then sat down reluctantly.

The bigger controversy arose in the finance module.

Old Wang insisted that all routes should break even within three years, but several airport representatives from more remote areas strongly opposed this.

"Our area only has tens of thousands of people a year, how could we possibly break even in three years?"

An official from an airport in the Pamir Plateau exclaimed, "If this standard is applied, our airport might as well just close down!"

Old Wang wouldn't back down: "Without economic benefits, how can the flight route continue? We can't rely on subsidies forever, can we?"

The meeting room was filled with noise.

Han Jidong listened for a long time before suddenly speaking up: "President Wang, you're calculating the economic aspects. But there are also social aspects to border air routes. They relate to border defense, ethnic unity, and regional development. How do we calculate that?"

Old Wang was taken aback.

"I suggest establishing a comprehensive benefit evaluation system."

Economic indicators account for 60%, while social benefit indicators account for 40%.

This approach takes into account both sustainability and the unique characteristics of border routes.

The proposal was approved by the majority.

After a month of continuous debate, revision, further debate, and further revision, the "Standards for the Operation of Frontier Branch Airports (Draft)" has finally been released.

The standards cover twelve modules, including route planning, security procedures, financial operations, talent development, and industry collaboration. They include both rigid requirements and flexibility, as well as unified standards and encouragement for adaptation to local conditions.

The initial draft was submitted to the Civil Aviation Administration of China and quickly received approval: "Approved in principle, three different types of airports will be selected for pilot testing."

The cooperation between Liaoning and Xinjiang is also deepening during the standard-setting process.

Mr. Li, the general manager of Dalian Airport, personally led a delegation to Xinjiang for inspection.

Accompanied by Han Jidong, they visited the pastoral area, the processing plant, and the airport direct sales area.

"President Han, you have done a truly solid job this year."

Mr. Li remarked, "I'll report back to the city and we'll upgrade our cooperation, sign a long-term agreement, and solidify our financial support, technology sharing, and talent exchange."

"That's exactly what I wanted!"

The negotiations for the agreement lasted for two weeks.

Dalian is willing to provide five million yuan annually for technological upgrades, but requires priority to be given to purchasing aviation equipment from Dalian; Xinjiang has agreed to open more air routes to Dalian, but requires Dalian to help train aviation personnel for the border region.

The most challenging issue is talent exchange. Dalian wants to send managers to Xinjiang for temporary assignments and training, but Lao Wang is worried that this will negatively impact the promotion prospects of local employees.

"Mr. Wang, think long-term."

Han Jidong advised him, "The management experience they bring is something we can't buy with money."

And our people can go to Dalian to learn too. Wouldn't that help build up the team?

Old Wang was eventually persuaded.

The signing ceremony for the long-term aviation cooperation agreement between Liaoning and Xinjiang was held at Urumqi Airport.

The agreement specifies that Dalian will provide five million yuan in funding annually for five consecutive years; both parties will exchange technical personnel quarterly; they will jointly run training courses for frontier aviation personnel; and they will jointly build an aviation logistics data platform...

The moment Han Jidong put down his pen, he suddenly felt as if he had been transported to another world. A year ago, this route was facing obstacles everywhere; a year later, it had become a model of regional cooperation.

At the celebratory dinner, Zhai drank a few more glasses and pulled Han Jidong aside to speak frankly: "Jidong, I really didn't expect that our promise from back then could be fulfilled to this extent."

"That's nothing," Han Jidong said, slightly tipsy. "Science and Technology, I have an even bolder idea."

"you say."

"I want to open 20 feeder routes in Xinjiang within five years."

It's not a scattered network, but a network, with northern, southern, and eastern Xinjiang as hubs, radiating to all remote areas. The goal is to ensure that any county or city is no more than a three-hour drive from the nearest airport.

Mr. Li, half-sober, asked, "Twenty articles? How much would that require? Would the board approve it?"

"So I need your help."

Han Jidong's eyes were bright. "Let's work together to make a long-term plan for twenty routes over five years."

It's not just about route planning; it's a blueprint for the entire region's aviation development, encompassing airport upgrades, route layout, industry collaboration, talent cultivation, and more.

"Are you trying to create a regional transportation hub?"

"It's not just a transportation hub."

Han Jidong became increasingly excited as he spoke: "It's a logistics center, an industrial linkage platform, a talent training base... completely opening up the air economic corridor between Xinjiang and the rest of China!"

General Manager Li stared at Han Jidong for a long time, then suddenly raised his glass: "Jidong, back then I said I wanted to make the border regions take off, and you were thinking about how to get airplanes to take off. Now you're thinking about how to make this land take off. You dare to dream more than I do!"

The two wine glasses clinked together.