China's civil aviation authority said on October 13 it had further relaxed controls on smaller airports for the coming spring-winter flight schedule, allowing domestic airlines to add new air routes or flights by themselves.

The schedule however still controls the total number of flights at busy airports like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Kunming and Dalian out of security concerns, the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, or CAAC, said on October 13.

"The move is aimed at facilitating the development of small regional airports and creating a balance for the overall market," said Zhong Ning, a CAAC official.

Domestic carriers need only register with CAAC information about their plans to add new routes or flights from the nation's more than 120 airports that are not under flight number control, she said.

CAAC will approve new flights and routes in 15 domestic airports in the new scheme, which will be in effect between October 29 to March 24 next year, she said.

The new flying season sees 15 new routes linking airports in Dazhou, Weifang, Xiangfan, Wuxi, Liuzhou, Tongren, Changzhou, Yanji, Yiwu, Hailaer and Hohhot to larger airports, CAAC said.