Chinese airlines need an additional 9,000 pilots by 2010 to satisfy the demand created by the rapid growth of the country's aviation industry, a senior aviation official said on Thursday.

"But we only have the capability of training around 7,000 pilots, which may result in a pilot deficiency and curb the development of China's aviation industry," said Gao Hongfeng, deputy director of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC).

The administration is now trying to expand its training capacity and has opened the door of pilot training to private companies, Gao said.

"We have also approved more than 20 foreign professional training organizations to give training courses in China and will recruit some foreign pilots to ease the shortage," he said.

Earlier reports said that China's air transportation was expected to maintain an annual growth of about 14 percent from 2006 to 2010.

The cargo turnover of China's airlines will increase by 14 percent annually to 50 billion ton/kilometer by 2010.

China's airlines will carry an estimated 270 million passengers in 2010, with an average annual growth rate of 14.5 percent,

China will have around 190 civil airports by 2010, 50 more than in 2005.

(Xinhua News Agency September 7, 2007)