The conversation with Yang, the head of British Airways South Asia, was unexpectedly pleasant. At least Xu Cang had a very good impression of him. In an atmosphere that made both parties extremely satisfied, Xu Cang separated from Yang and Jonathan.
After that, Xu Cang and Qin Xin went to the second floor to eat. When they went downstairs, they ran into Master Chen Xiangdong. Chen Xiangdong said that Director Wu Yue had already gone back with Dean Bi Lin and was expected to take the evening flight back to China. He decided not to leave and stayed with Xu Cang until he finished all the things here.
The Jakarta volcanic ash incident has come to an end for the time being. The British Aviation Authority will not cause any trouble for the time being, but the Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority still has to do some paperwork.
Accompanied by the deputy director of CAAC, it only took two or three hours to complete the paperwork at the Indonesian Civil Aviation Administration. Originally, Xu Cang planned to take the evening flight back, but when he saw that he couldn't catch up, he changed the time to tomorrow morning.
Xu Cang's original room was a standard room with a double bed, so Chen Xiangdong was too lazy to book another room and shared a room with Xu Cang. Only Qin Xin got a room by herself.
At night, Xu Cang planned to take a walk in the city of Jakarta. However, after walking for a while, he found that the air was still filled with a faint smell of volcanic ash and sulfur. It was unbearable for a long time, so he went back after only half an hour.
After taking a shower, Xu Cang went to bed to read magazines, while Chen Xiangdong lay on the bed and watched TV. The service of the five-star hotel here is different. It can receive many TV stations from various countries. As a result, Chen Xiangdong tuned in to a Chinese TV station to watch the news.
Xu Cang had no interest in the news at all. After reading the magazine for a while, he felt bored and wondered whether he should go to bed early.
Xu Cang is the type of night owl who goes to bed late and gets up late. It is not yet 10 o'clock in the evening, which is still early for Xu Cang. He probably won't be able to sleep, which makes him feel uncomfortable.
Just as Xu Cang was about to flip through the magazine again, Chen Xiangdong, who had been watching TV next to him, suddenly said, "Just yesterday, the General Administration received an application from the Southwest Administration regarding your establishment of an airline."
Xu Cang snapped the magazine shut and asked, "What did the General Administration say?"
Previously, when setting up the airline, Xu Cang actually had some "bug-blocking" behaviors, so he was not sure whether the authorities would agree.
"I originally thought that as long as it didn't violate the regulations, the General Administration wouldn't have any objections. If they want to fix the loopholes in the rules, that's a matter for the future. But yesterday, there was a lot of controversy in the bureau about your application to form an airline. However, after the volcanic ash incident, they should be able to agree to it."
Xu Cang was quite surprised: "Is there such a saying?"
"No matter what, your performance in British Airways Flight 1009 brought honor to CAAC, so it is normal for the General Administration to turn a blind eye to your application to set up an airline. However, after this incident, the General Administration will definitely fill this loophole, just this once."
"I didn't intend to come a second time." Hearing that the establishment of the airline was basically settled, Xu Cang felt relieved.
Although there were some twists and turns, it finally set sail.
"I know that when you submitted your application, you included an agreement for the purchase of the 737-900 in the near future. The General Administration also knew that it was rejected this time. Within two months, you could still pass normally, so they just did you a favor." Chen Xiangdong said, turning down the volume of the TV.
Xu Cang immediately felt that the atmosphere had changed. It seemed that Chen Xiangdong was going to talk about serious matters.
Sure enough, after turning down the volume of the TV to an almost inaudible level, Chen Xiangdong suddenly said without warning: "Xu Cang, tell me the truth, what is your relationship with Miss Qin?"
"Ah? She is my boss." Xu Cang said naturally.
Chen Xiangdong snorted: "You are kidding. If I believed your lies, I would have lived in vain for decades."
"You've already figured it out, so why are you asking me?"
"I want you to say it in person. I want to confirm whether I need to help Spring Airlines." Chen Xiangdong snorted coldly.
Some things only count if Xu Cang says it himself. Chen Xiangdong can certainly see that Xu Cang and Qin Xin have a relationship that goes beyond regular work, but how does Chen Xiangdong know to what extent?
He wanted to confirm what kind of person Qin Xin was to Xu Cang!
If it was just an ordinary relationship between a man and a woman, then Chen Xiangdong felt that there was no need to pay any special attention to Spring Airlines. But if they were already talking about marriage, or Xu Cang had decided on Qin Xin, then the situation would naturally be different.
Of course, Chen Xiangdong would not use his position to seek improper benefits for Spring Airlines. However, Chen Xiangdong has worked in civil aviation for so many years and has a clear understanding of some things. He knows which roads are easier to take, at least for a newly started airline.
Xu Cang was very smart. He immediately understood what Chen Xiangdong meant. He thought about it and hesitated: "Master, you are not trying to abuse your power for personal gain, are you?"
Chen Xiangdong's face darkened, and he immediately started to scold with a smile: "I have been honest all my life, how could I abuse my power for personal gain? However, my vision is still broader than yours, and I can show you a clear way forward."
Xu Cang patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief: "Master, I thought you had fallen into depravity, fortunately, fortunately!"
"What are you talking about?" Chen Xiangdong was a little impatient: "How far have you and Miss Qin come?"
"Well, how should I put it?" Xu Cang was not sure how to describe the current relationship between him and Qin Xin. Of course, he could feel that Qin Xin had a good impression of him, but that layer of window paper had not been broken.
Chen Xiangdong's forehead was bulging with blue veins: "What's so hard to explain?"
Xu Cang rolled his eyes, too lazy to continue discussing this issue with his master, and said, "You should just show us a clear path."
Chen Xiangdong's eyes lit up: "Have you decided on that girl? Not bad, not bad, my apprentice has good taste. When are you planning to get married? Have you put having children on the agenda? I know a good Chinese medicine doctor, would you like me to introduce him to you to help you take care of your bodies in advance? Oh, when you have a child, can you let me take care of the child for a few days?"
Chen Xiangdong spoke rapidly, and had already begun to look forward to the days of raising children. For Chen Xiangdong, the days of raising children would definitely make him feel quite happy.
"Master, are you thinking too much?" Xu Cang was speechless: "Tell me, what good suggestions do you have? You are so mysterious."
"Why should children be shy? Aren't these things something they have to go through? The sooner the better." When it comes to the issue of the younger generation starting a family, Chen Xiangdong can't help but start nagging.
Xu Cangji was tired of this kind of preaching, and clicked his tongue: "Master, can we talk about business?"
"Business, sure!" Chen Xiangdong was afraid that Xu Cang would develop a rebellious mentality, so he stopped talking and started talking about business with a serious face: "I roughly understand your philosophy of running an airline, which is to focus on second- and third-tier airports and avoid direct competition with most airlines, right?"
In front of his master, Xu Cang basically had no reservations: "Yes, I plan to develop provincial routes in the future and use ARJ21."
"ARJ21 flies within the province?" Chen Xiangdong was stunned. "Can it really make money? I heard that the three major airlines did not have very good results in operating ARJ21."
"Short distance?"
"What else?" Chen Xiangdong hummed. "Why not use Airbus and Boeing for longer distances? ARJ21 is only competitive in short distances. However, it doesn't seem to be that good in practice. Maybe it can shine in the business jet field? Don't take it for granted that ARJ21 is a regional jet that can make money just by flying short-haul routes."
Xu Cang smiled and said, "I am different from them. I should be able to generate a lot of profit."
"Really? I didn't realize you were good at business!" Chen Xiangdong thought for a moment, "Where will you get the ARJ21 from later? Will you buy it directly from AVIC? You have a good relationship with AVIC, so maybe you can get some discounts."
Xu Cang shook his head: "Not really. No matter how good the relationship is, brothers have to settle accounts clearly. How much discount can I get? Master, didn't you just say that the three major airlines are not very good at operating ARJ21? Then, if I accept their ARJ21, isn't it also helping them solve their problems? No matter what, it is always much more cost-effective than buying new ones."
"That being said, it may be a good deal, it's not free." Chen Xiangdong could understand Xu Cang's logic, but he didn't think it would save Xu Cang much money. Although it would be more expensive to buy directly from AVIC, it was a new aircraft and the procedures were much simpler.
Xu Cang smiled and said, "I have some ideas. Maybe National Airlines would be willing to give it to me for free."
"Are you kidding me to let Guoda Airlines give you a plane for free?" Chen Xiangdong was totally unconvinced when he heard this: "They must be crazy to give away planes for free. Even if ARJ21 is losing money, it is impossible."
Xu Cang folded his arms across his chest: "Yes, this depends on his courage."
In fact, Xu Cang didn't know whether Yi Feng would agree to his proposal. However, among the three major airlines, Yi Feng's Guoda Airlines was the most likely one. After all, in Xu Cang's eyes, Yi Feng was still somewhat out of the pursuit of vulgar interests.
If this plan was presented to Ma Cheng of Muhua Airlines, it would not be feasible at all.
"Oh, that's right, why are you getting more and more off-topic? Master, why don't you tell me the clear path you can point out to us? I'm listening."
"What clear path can I take? I'm just telling you where I think you can make good money." Chen Xiangdong organized his words: "Let's not talk about the provincial routes for now. I guess I can't explain it clearly. Just for the inter-provincial routes, where can you tell me the most profitable ones?"
Xu Cang chuckled: "Of course it's Hanjing, Yangcheng and Shanghai, flying around in circles."
Hanjing, Yangcheng and Shanghai are the three largest aviation hubs in China. The routes between these three airports not only have high occupancy rates, but also the ticket prices are high all year round. Isn't this a great way to make money?
"Flying in circles between Hanjing, Yangcheng, and Shanghai? Even the three major airlines may not have such good routes. How can a newly established airline like you have such good routes?"
"Didn't you ask me that?" Xu Cang said helplessly, "Master, you know that those three airports have little to do with us. It's good enough to fly a single segment. I don't have any thoughts on routes like Hanjing-Yangcheng, Hanjing-Shanghai, and Yangcheng-Shanghai. Don't worry about this, Master. I know the position clearly."
"It's okay if you can see clearly. If this person starts to get greedy, he won't be able to go far." Chen Xiangdong taught him, "However, if the three major hubs are not enough, I do have a good place for you to go."
Xu Cang's eyes lit up: "Where?"
"The highest place in the west." Chen Xiangdong said with a smile.
Xu Cang was stunned, thinking: "You mean, Sunlight City... Luoxi?"
…
The next morning, Xu Cang and the other two set off for home and finally landed at Jianchuan Airport. Chen Xiangdong had to go back to the Hanjing General Administration, so he said goodbye to Xu Cang and left for a connecting flight. Xu Cang originally planned to go directly to Erhai Lake by land, but Qin Xin strongly requested Xu Cang to do another detailed examination at Jianchuan Hospital. Jakarta only did a simple examination, which made Qin Xin a little worried.
Xu Cang felt that there was no problem with it, but since Qin Xin insisted, he would just obey. There was no need to make things unpleasant over such a thing.
The focus of the examination is on the lungs, because Xu Cang inhaled a lot of volcanic ash during the volcanic ash incident, and it is not known whether it will have any impact.
Xu Cang doesn't really care about things. Qin Xin is the one who makes appointments for physical examinations. Xu Cang just follows the instructions of Qin Xin and the doctor.
Qin Xin made an appointment at a private hospital, so there was no need to wait in line. Apart from being expensive, the services provided by private hospitals were quite good.
The hospital even arranged a guide to accompany Xu Cang and Qin Xin between departments, so the physical examination was very efficient and all the items were completed in less than an hour.
Some items can get results immediately, while others need to wait, such as biochemical tests. However, compared with public hospitals, the speed of these test results is also very fast, and the longest one is only waiting for more than 40 minutes.
Xu Cang thought it was nothing, so he and Qin Xin stayed in the hospital to wait for the results. However, during this period, Xu Cang received an unexpected call from Director Hu Ming of the Erhai Poverty Alleviation Office.
About half an hour later, Hu Ming brought a middle-aged man to the hospital and met Xu Cang in a pavilion in the hospital.
The four of them sat on the stone bench in the pavilion. Hu Ming immediately introduced the middle-aged man to Xu Cang: "Xu Cang, this is Mr. Meng Zihao, the general manager of Jinghong Airport Group."
When Xu Cang heard that he was the person in charge of Jinghong Airport, he immediately understood why Hu Ming came, and greeted Meng Zihao very politely.
Meng Zihao is fat, kind-looking, and has a Maitreya Buddha smile on his face: "I heard from Director Hu that you are interested in operating flights at our Jinghong Airport?"
Previously, Xu Cang had indeed asked Hu Ming to find out about Jinghong Airport and Tuofeng Airport's ideas on commercial operations. Among them, Xu Cang attached particular importance to Jinghong Airport because that place would become a nationally famous tourist destination in the future and its value was too great.
Originally, Xu Cang thought that this matter might take some time, but he didn't expect Hu Ming to be so . In just a short period of time, he had already contacted the general manager of Jinghong Airport Group, who was a person with a say.
"Yes, I have this idea. I wonder what Mr. Meng thinks?" Xu Cang did not hide it, but his tone was still reserved and he did not seem so urgent.
"If commercial flights can be operated at my Jinghong Airport, I would naturally be more than happy to do so." Compared to Xu Cang, Meng Zihao seemed more anxious: "A few days ago, Director Hu found me and expressed his wishes to me. So, today I happened to come to Jianchuan to ask for official opinions."
At this time, Hu Ming took over the conversation: "We went to the Jianchuan Regulatory Bureau and the Air Traffic Control Bureau early in the morning to ask whether Jinghong Airport could be opened for commercial operation."
"Oh, so that's how it is." Xu Cang suddenly realized. He was wondering why Hu Ming came to Jianchuan. Logically, he shouldn't come here if he had nothing to do. It turned out that he came here for business.
"We encountered some problems in those two places. We were a little unsure, so we wanted to discuss it with you. Unexpectedly, you were also in Jianchuan, and in... the hospital." Hu Ming said: "Xu Cang, what's wrong with you? Why are you running to the hospital?"
The main thing is that Xu Cang is in a very good mental state now, and he doesn't look like a patient at all, which makes Hu Ming feel very strange.
"Nothing serious happened to me, just a physical examination." Xu Cang did not reveal what happened to him in Jakarta, but quickly brought the topic back to the commercial operation of Jinghong Airport: "What problems did you encounter?"
"That's right." Meng Zihao said directly: "Our Jinghong Airport was originally used for military purposes, and the procedures are all applicable to military aircraft. But if you want to fly a commercial flight, it must be an aircraft like the 737 or 320. But our old procedures are not applicable to large passenger aircraft like the 737 and 320."
This is relatively easy to understand. Military aircraft, especially fighter jets, are definitely much more maneuverable than large passenger aircraft such as the 737. Some programs can be used by fighter jets, but not by large civilian aircraft, so the programs cannot be used.
Xu Cang immediately figured it out: "What do the Regulatory Bureau and Air Traffic Control Bureau mean?"
"This...the instrument procedures cannot be used, so commercial flights certainly cannot be flown. They don't object to us operating commercial flights, but we must first solve the problem of instrument procedures." Meng Zihao said helplessly.
"Sure enough!" Xu Cang slapped his forehead. This was trouble.
This is not because the Jianchuan Regulatory Bureau and the Air Traffic Control Bureau are deliberately making things difficult for Jinghong Airport. Instead, they are actually following the regulations. The question now is how to solve the problem of instrument procedures at Jinghong Airport.
Xu Cang thought about it and asked Meng Zihao tentatively: "Mr. Meng, has your airport group said how to solve it?"
"As far as I know, this kind of situation where we need to redesign airport procedures requires financial appropriations." Meng Zihao was a little embarrassed: "I don't know if you know about procedure design, but what I know is that even with the size of our airport, the design fee for the procedures required is about 20 million."
"Twenty... twenty million!?" Even Qin Xin, who had been listening quietly, was shocked. She thought that it was just a matter of a few drawings, and a few hundred thousand would be the most that could be spent. How could the expenditure suddenly soar to tens of millions? This was too exaggerated.
Unlike Qin Xin who was shocked, Xu Cang's reaction was relatively calm. He knew some general information about programming, and the 20 million that Meng Zihao mentioned was definitely not just talk, but was really possible.
Program design requires very complicated calculations, and the design institute will be held responsible for the consequences. If an accident occurs due to a program problem, the design institute will be held responsible.
In addition, the most crucial thing is that there are only a handful of institutions in China that can do programming , and things are precious because they are scarce, and there is nothing that can be done about it.
"Is this the price from the Shanghai Civil Aviation Design Institute or the National Civil Aviation Planning and Design Institute?" Xu Cang asked.
"That's naturally the one in Hanjing." Meng Zihao said.
"That's the National Civil Aviation Planning and Design Institute." Xu Cang fell into deep thought. It can be seen that Meng Zihao is still very concerned about the commercial operation of Jinghong Airport, and the design institutes consulted are all the best in the country.
Although Xu Cang could understand the price, it didn't mean he could accept it. 20 million, that was really too expensive!
Seeing Xu Cang remain silent for a long time, Meng Zihao felt disappointed and simply opened up: "Actually, I've already underestimated the price. Twenty million is the average price. Our Jinghong Airport is very close to the border, so it is very difficult to design a flight procedure. We may need to design a more complicated procedure. In addition, our airport is surrounded by mountainous areas, which makes it even more difficult. According to the design institute, the more difficult the design, the higher the price. Later, the design institute will send people to our place for an actual survey. However, after taking a quick look at the topographic map I brought over, they felt that twenty million was not enough."
Xu Cang's face really became interesting at this moment. My goodness, according to what Meng Zihao said, 20 million is just a starting price, and the exact amount is still unknown.
Anyway, judging from Meng Zihao's expression, I'm afraid the extra money will be quite a lot.
This time there really is a huge hole.
"So what does your airport group mean?" Xu Cang asked with the last glimmer of hope: "Is there a corresponding financial allocation?"
When this was mentioned, Meng Zihao's bitter face became even more serious: "Little brother, according to the normal process, our Jinghong Airport will have to wait at least five years to start commercial operation. Of course, the government has no objection to our commercialization in advance. But if we don't follow the planned plan, the corresponding financial allocation will not be available."
The government always makes plans in advance, rather than just doing whatever it wants. Jinghong City is not financially well-off to begin with, so it is estimated that they plan to save money over the next five years, and then use the money to commercialize their own airport.
But now they suddenly want to bring forward the commercialization. It's not that the government is unwilling, but they can't come up with the money. This completely disrupted the plan.
"Is there really no solution at all?" Xu Cang still refused to give up.
Meng Zihao almost beat his chest and stamped his feet: "Little brother, this is 20 million. If it was 2 million, I, Meng Zihao, would have a slight chance of success by begging people everywhere. But 20 million, you can't raise it even if you buy me. Moreover, 20 million may not be enough, and more is needed. I also want to start commercial operation of Jinghong Airport as soon as possible, but I really don't have the money."
Perhaps he was touched, Meng Zihao seemed a little emotional at the moment.
"Xu Cang, Jinghong's finances are even worse than Erhai's. It's too difficult to ask them to come up with more than 20 million yuan at once." At this time, Hu Ming also spoke up.
Xu Cang nodded. Hu Ming's words still made some sense. It seemed that Jinghong really had no money.
In fact, if you think about it, you can understand. Except for Jianchuan, which is slightly better, the transportation in other areas of the province is extremely inconvenient. How can there be any money? Just like Erhai City, it still needs targeted assistance from other provinces.
If it were any other airport, Xu Cang would give up the idea without even a second thought if he encountered such a thing. After all, Xu Cang is not a philanthropist, and a hole of more than 20 million is quite difficult for him to fill.
But that is Jinghong, and its future tourism value is simply immeasurable. In the future, there will be a steady stream of tourists from all over the country flocking to Jinghong, and there is no need to worry about the source of tourists.
Moreover, if we can gain a good position at Jinghong Airport first and wait for Jinghong to be developed, we can then make deals with Chunxia Travel to obtain its stronger support for offline sales.
Jinghong...is so important to Xu Cang!
"I know someone at Boeing. How about I ask Boeing's price for you?" Xu Cang asked tentatively.
Not only domestic design institutes can make programs, Boeing can also do it, and it only needs to be approved by the Civil Aviation Administration. However, Xu Cang himself did not believe this. Boeing's price would be lower than that of domestic ones, which was basically a pie in the sky.
Meng Zihao was stunned for a moment, and did not answer, but just sighed heavily, full of sadness and helplessness.
Qin Xin patted the back of Xu Cang's hand without leaving any trace, signaling him not to wade into this muddy water. It was said to be 20 million, but there should be more later. It was simply a bottomless pit.
They are now spending money everywhere and have no spare money. They even owe rent for the 737 they leased from Muhua Airlines, and there are also subsequent agreement disputes with Blue Sky Airlines. Where can they come up with 20 million?
Qin Xin could roughly sense that Xu Cang attached great importance to Jinghong Airport, but Qin Xin had to make sure Xu Cang stayed sober and didn't act rashly and put the entire company into an irretrievable situation.
How could Xu Cang not know that he had no money? But if he didn't seize the opportunity now when Jinghong has not yet been developed, how could he compete with other airlines, especially the Big Three airlines, when Jinghong's tourism value was developed later?
Xu Cang was confused: "What should I do?"