On July 28, 2026, the founding conference of the Aviation Industry Committee of the Global Alliance for Trade in Services (hereinafter referred to as "GATIS") was successfully held in Beijing. Jiang Zengwei, President of the GATIS, attended the event and delivered a speech. More than 100 participants attended the conference, including officials from relevant government departments, representatives from the GATIS Digital Economy Committee, responsible persons from the airport economic zones of cities such as Beijing, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Xi'an and Wuhan, as well as domestic and foreign airlines including Ethiopian Airlines, Xiamen Airlines and Sichuan Airlines, together with specially invited guests from various circles.
At the first plenary session of the GATIS Aviation Industry Committee, the GATIS reviewed and adopted the Report on the Preparatory Work and Annual Work of the Aviation Industry Committee of the Global Alliance for Trade in Services and the Working Rules of the Aviation Industry Committee of the Global Alliance for Trade in Services, and elected the Chairman of the Aviation Industry Committee, the First Rotating Chairman, the Vice Chairmen, the First Rotating Director of the Office, and the Executive Deputy Director of the Office. At the subsequent first directors' office meeting, the GATIS reviewed and adopted key documents including the Rules of Procedure for the Chairman of the GATIS Aviation Industry Committee, the Institutional Structure Plan of the GATIS Aviation Industry Committee, and the Financial Budget Report of the GATIS Aviation Industry Committee for 2026-2027.
At the founding conference, Zhao Weidong, Secretary General of the GATIS, read out the Reply of the Global Alliance for Trade in Services on the Establishment of the Aviation Industry Committee. China Eastern and GE Aerospace, as the two entities elected as the first co-rotating chair units of the Aviation Industry Committee, addressed the conference. China SatNet Digital Technology Co., Ltd., as a representative of the observer units of the Aviation Industry Committee, also addressed the conference. Jiang Zengwei, President of the GATIS, and the Chief Expert of the Aviation Industry Committee jointly presented certificates to the first batch of member units and jointly unveiled the plaque of the "Aviation Industry Committee of the Global Alliance for Trade in Services".
In his speech, President Jiang Zengwei, noted that the aviation industry is a key component of the national economy and trade in services, with a broad industrial chain and numerous interrelated links, and is vital to keeping global industrial and supply chains fluid, facilitating international travel, and sustaining steady world economic growth. He added that the global aviation industry is currently on a solid recovery track with its development momentum continuing to build; the passenger transport market holds vast potential and is effectively driving the rapid growth of new business formats such as aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), aviation training and aviation finance, while the widespread application of digital technologies and artificial intelligence is injecting fresh impetus into innovation across the aviation industry. He stressed that the establishment of the Aviation Industry Committee is an important move for GATIS to follow the development trend of the global aviation industry and improve its professional service system, as well as a pragmatic step to pool the combined strengths of the global aviation industry and advance high-standard development of trade in aviation services. It marks a further enhancement of GATIS's member-centered development and service capacity. Mr. Jiang Zengwei stated that GATIS will, in line with its functional positioning, provide guidance and support to the Committee in such areas as platform building, international liaison, and resource coordination. He expressed the hope that the Aviation Industry Committee will, grounded in the needs of its members and the industry, build a high-level international exchange platform, promote integrated development across the industrial chain, and continuously strengthen its ability to serve member enterprises, so that the Committee becomes a high-tier professional platform with strong cohesion in the industry and broad international influence, and makes greater contributions to the high-quality development of the global aviation industry and trade in services.
The Aviation Industry Committee of the Global Alliance for Trade in Services was jointly initiated by 19 institutions spanning the full value chain of the global aviation industry: the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the China Air Transport Association, the China Civil Airports Association, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of China (AOPA China), China National Aviation Holding Corporation Ltd., China Eastern Airlines Co., Ltd., China Southern Air Holding Company, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC), China National Aviation Fuel Group Limited, China Aviation Supplies Holding Company, TravelSky, Guangdong Airport Authority, Beijing Linkong International Institute of Technology, GE Aerospace, Airbus China, Embraer, the Finance Center for South-South Cooperation, the Airport Authority Hong Kong, and Greater Bay Airlines. The first batch of 19 member units covers four major categories of entities: industry associations, backbone enterprises, hub airports, and industry think tanks. Going forward, the Aviation Industry Committee will focus on four core functions—opening-up and innovation in trade in aviation services, research on industry standards and rules, international exchange and cooperation, and industrial empowerment and upgrading, promoting the development of the "Air Silk Road", thus contributing to the high-quality development of global trade in aviation services.
Lu Lanping and Liang Jingyuan, Deputy Secretaries-General of the GATIS, along with representatives from all departments of the GATIS Secretariat, attended the event.
