Abstract

China instigated One Belt, One Road to connect China on a global scale not envisioned since the original Silk Road. The scope of this project includes development of trade routes, communications, cultural exchanges, and transportation infrastructure. Twenty-six percent of the megaproject transportation initiatives are in aviation. Several experts forecast the Chinese to surpass the US as the world’s biggest aviation market by 2022. Has the world been asleep at the wheel while this expansion was taking place? Or is the project overly aggressive and will aviation infrastructure constraints thwart the prediction? Does China have the power to bring aviation market share forecast to fruition? This exploratory research scrutinized the plan, progress and projections in relation to capacity limitations to provide insight into these questions. The promise of the OBOR initiative is immense, as are the opportunities and risks to sustainable development in the aviation and aerospace industry.